PORTLAND, Ore. — Authorities are worried that a potentially dangerous batch of drugs is making rounds on the streets after eight people died between Friday morning and Sunday afternoon from suspected drug overdoses across the city.
Police said six of the deaths are most likely from fentanyl. At least seven were men.
The Medical Examiner’s office and the Portland Police Bureau's Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit (NOC) are investigating all of the cases and investigators said there is a concerning pattern.
"NOC has found that in several of these cases, there is evidence that the user believed they were ingesting cocaine, but that it was really a blend of cocaine and fentanyl, or possibly pure powdered fentanyl," Portland police said.
They're warning users that there may be a batch of what they believe to be cocaine being circulated that is particularly dangerous.
There were two deaths on Friday; a 38-year-old man inside an apartment on East Burnside Street near 122nd Avenue and a 42-year-old man in a tent on Southeast Rhine Street near 82nd Avenue.
Saturday saw five more overdoses. A 47-year-old man died in a vehicle in Sellwood Riverfront Park, another died in a grassy area at West Burnside Street and Northwest 8th Avenue, a 69-year-old man died in an apartment on Northwest Naito Parkway near the Steel Bridge, and two more, ages 37 and 49 passed away in an apartment on Northeast Sandy Boulevard near 162nd Avenue.
The eighth person died at North Hartman Street and Oswego Avenue on Sunday afternoon. Their age and sex have not yet been released.
"I feel really deeply for the loss of those individuals and all of the other folks, family, friends, acquaintances impacted by the losses," said Andy Mendenhall, the president and CEO of Central City Concern, an organization that works towards ending homelessness in Portland and provides various resources including addiction treatment.
Mendenhall said drug users should be using fentanyl test strips to test their drugs. Additionally, he said people should never use drugs alone and they should always have Naloxone within reach.
"Part of harm reduction strategy is to ensure folks are aware of the risks and have the tools and supplies they need to reduce risk as much as possible," Mendenhall said.
Anyone with information about these cases is asked to contact police by e-mailing crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov.
In April, 11 people suffered suspected drug overdoses in just one day across downtown Portland. Three people died. Officers said they suspected the majority of the overdoses were a result of fentanyl use.
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