Two cadets from the United States Military Academy remain on life support after a larger group overdosed on cocaine, laced with deadly Fentanyl. One of the cadets called 911:

“We took some coke and we are not getting good responses right now... People are passing out. Three people passed out.”

When the first responders arrived, four of the students were unconscious. Two of the West Point cadets, who had not ingested the drug, began CPR. They were also transported to the hospital. Apparently they overdosed after ingesting the deadly substance on or around another victim’s mouth and nose.

“They did some coke and they have been drinking heavily for the past couple of days,'

“This is extremely alarming to us," Fort Lauderdale Fire Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan told reporters. "There were multiple people in cardiac arrest in the front yard." At least two of the victims were football players at the prestigious Military Academy.

“People are passing out. Three people passed out … because they drank a lot, like a lot a lot … an enormous amount.”

On Saturday a suspect identified as 21-year-old Axel Giovany Casseus was arrested for allegedly selling cocaine laced with Fentanyl to undercover police officers. He remains in the Broward county jail on $50,000 bond.

“We good. We good. We good. It’s okay baby, don’t worry about it,” he told a crying woman nearby, as someone in the background was heard yelling “Hold it the f–k together.”

High Stakes Partying

If and when they return to the Academy, the five cadets will likely face a court-martial. In 2001, two cadets were court-martialed and sentenced to serve prison time at Fort Leavenworth for failing a random drug test. If convicted, the cadets will be forced to re-pay the government for the entire cost of their education.

80-100 Times Stronger Than Morphine

Fentanyl is a highly concentrated, synthetic opioid that is 80–100 times stronger than morphine. It was designed for severe pain management. But, since that time, illicit Fentanyl has become a weapon of mass destruction.

The United States seized over 15,000 pounds of Fentanyl from the market last year. That’s enough drugs to potentially kill every single American.

Small amounts of Fentanyl are cut into cocaine, heroin, xanax, OxyContin and marijuana to make the underlying drug more powerful.

Fentanyl fatally poisons one person every 8.57 minutes.

In short order Fentanyl, not Covid, has become one of the deadliest substances on the planet. In 2020 Fentanyl killed more Americans than all other drugs combined.

Free Fallin’ Meets Purple Rain

Without much fanfare, Fentanyl-laced pain killers took the lives of two American legends: Tom Petty and Prince. Both of these American icons suffered from painful, degenerative joint conditions. Petty and Prince died after overdosing on pain killers laced with deadly Fentanyl.

The Pill Mills

The most recent evolution of this epidemic is the introduction of counterfeit pills. These pills are mostly manufactured in clandestine labs by drug cartels and other nefarious gangs with no pharmaceutical training.

These pill mills produce look-a-like pills and sell them to unsuspecting dealers as OxyContin, Percocet or Xanax.

The pills appear to be legitimate, as they are manufactured in the right colors and with the right markings. But these pills contain none of the expensive, active ingredients of the name brands they carry. The pills are laced with inexpensive Fentanyl and they are often deadly. A lethal dose of Fentanyl is just two milligrams-or about the size of the few grains below.

Perhaps most concerning is that Xanax or “Zannies” have become a popular party drug. Young adults abuse the drug to intensify the effects of alcohol. Xanax is also used to reduce Anxiety when coming down off Cocaine and MDMA. It’s nearly impossible to know if you’re taking real Xanax or counterfeit Xanax loaded with deadly Fentanyl until it’s too late.

This is a high stakes game. Fortunately I only smoked pot 2-3 times in college (sorry, Mom). I was so clueless I once smoked oregano and didn’t know the difference…..Ignorance is bliss.

“Into the Great Wide Open”

One reason for the explosive growth of Xanax is the rapid increase in the availability of inexpensive, yet powerful, Fentanyl. It’s flowing freely across the US-Mexico border, facilitated by lax immigration policies and a willing Mexican drug cartel.

Deaths Are Soaring

According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, drug overdoses exceeded 100,000 deaths in the most recent reporting period. An increase of 28.5% over the prior period. In the state of Louisiana, the overdose rate has grown 56% year over year.

Deadlier than Suicide, Covid-19 and Car accidents.

Accidental deaths are soaring among young people, who are gaining access to cheap, Fentanyl-laced drugs sold on platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram. In many cases these are not kids who are drug addicts. They are typical teenagers looking to try something new. But all it takes is one counterfeit pill to cause almost immediate death.

The Number One Killer

Yes, while we were focused on the next variant of Covid, Fentanyl quietly became the number one killer of Americans age 18–45. Deadlier than Suicide, Covid-19 and Car accidents.

Just last week in Denver, three girls at Mitchell High School ingested pills laced with deadly Fentanyl. The three apparently took the pills in between classes. Within minutes one of the 14-year old girls began foaming at the mouth and became unresponsive. A teacher called 911. The victim was transported to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

So how can this be happening right under our nose? And why didn’t you hear about it before now? You didn’t hear about it because the government and the media wants us focused on Covid and the war in Ukraine. There is no political gain to advertising that the government has failed to control the border and the flow of deadly Fentanyl at the same time.

Courtesy DiamondRehab Thailand via Unsplash

So what about you? Does this information about Fentanyl surprise you? It sure surprised me. Maybe we should start a campaign to get the word out to parents and teachers. You can start by forwarding this article to a few friends so they can learn about the dangers of Fentanyl. It only takes one bad decision to end your life.

And, one more thing, if you found this information interesting can you leave me a comment below? I love hearing from my readers and I promise you’ll hear back from me.

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Spring Break, Natty Light, Cocaine and Death