Stanislaus County deputy DA explains how fentanyl epidemic has gotten worse since pandemic
"We are seeing fentanyl put its claws into every part of our society," Patrick Hogan says.
"We are seeing fentanyl put its claws into every part of our society," Patrick Hogan says.
"We are seeing fentanyl put its claws into every part of our society," Patrick Hogan says.
Patrick Hogan is a deputy district attorney in Stanislaus County. He joined KCRA 3 on Thursday as part of our special report to talk about how the epidemic of fentanyl-related deaths has gotten worse during the pandemic and revealed new ways that the deadly drug is being packaged.
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When we talk about fentanyl we are talking about two separate things. There are counterfeit pills that are killing people unknowingly. But we also have people who are drug users who are purposely going out and seeking fentanyl. Help our viewers watching this understand just how big this fentanyl problem is right t now – and how much bigger it's come since COVID.
Patrick Hogan: "It’s such a difficult thing to talk about. In our county, the way we like to describe it is we have an overdose crisis and a poisoning crisis. Those things are happening together. We have people who are seeking out fentanyl and overdosing. And we have some people who have no idea the drug they are taking. They are being poisoned to death. I talked to law enforcement people in every agency in my county and what they describe is a crisis that they have never seen before. These are people who are veterans for 20, 25, 30 years. They are seeing deaths at the likes of which they have never seen. In our county, we are losing three to four people per week to an overdose."
There are a lot of challenges out there for law enforcement right now – violent crime, theft, gangs, things that are associated with homelessness. It seems like fentanyl is this common thread. Is that true?
Patrick Hogan: "There is no doubt. What we have seen in our county is between 2019 before the pandemic and now it is just a sea change in the way in which narcotics are operating. Fentanyl is displacing every other drug. Fentanyl is showing up in every single drug. We are testing methamphetamine showing with fentanyl. We are showing pills showing up with fentanyl. We are seeing fentanyl put its claws into every part of our society."
M30 pills are still out there on the streets. But that’s not even the big problem anymore, right?
Patrick Hogan: "In 2020, we began to see these M30 pills on the streets. They are now known as 'blues.' In 2020 we had an overdose crisis in Stanislaus County. By overdose, I mean overdose and poisoning. We were losing one to two people a week and that was shocking to us. Now the difference is, in 2021, we have drug users that are actively seeking those same pills that were poisoning people in 2020 because they are looking for those drugs. They are looking for that high."
We’ve also got the colored fentanyl that is sort of a new marketing thing. It’s almost a putty-like substance. Tell me what this is and why people are seeking this out.
Patrick Hogan: "I think last year in 2020 we began to see this brightly colored fentanyl. I and other members of law enforcement in my count did an interview with a drug dealer who was bringing fentanyl into the county. And what he described is that he could go into San Francisco, into the tenderloin, and drive down the street and people would come to his car and they would say, ‘Hey, I have red, I have blue, I have purple.’ That’s because they were selling fentanyl in colors. … It’s really taking over the market. We think it’s a marketing gimmick, but it’s showing up everywhere now."
This drug is so dangerous, so highly addictive. Because of the work you do you see this problem through every lens possible. What is the most important message you want our viewers to get tonight?
Patrick Hogan: "To understand that this is something that is completely different. I work with incredibly dedicated law enforcement officers, people who are working day in and day out to save lives. But what’s amazing is, no matter how much fentanyl someone is selling -- and this is incredible -- it doesn’t qualify for state prison. In the state of California, someone could be out there selling a poison that’s killing people in the thousands, and our Legislature and laws view that as a nonviolent offense."