News

Actions

Martin County Sheriff's Office fights opioid problem

Posted at 11:55 PM, Aug 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-12 00:35:47-04

There's been one blemish on Paradise Place in Stuart.

"It's been a long concern here in this neighborhood," says one resident. Homeowners over the past couple of years noticed a lot of unusual activity at one home.

One neighbor contacted the sheriff's office about it.

"When you get that kind of traffic in and out of the neighborhood, you kind of get a little concerned."

It turned out to be a pill house. Deputies arresting three men earlier this month for trafficking and sales of the dangerous and addictive drug Opana.

Similar arrests were made shortly after.

"We have never seen so much abuse of the oxycodone and the opioids and just this year alone," says Sheriff William Snyder.

He says they have made 218 narcotics arrests and more are on the way.

His deputies are ready to execute a number of search warrants in the coming weeks.

"We have 30 warrants in hand right now that we have to go out and serve for drugs," says Snyder.

The Sheriff also says with the number of overdoses this year, his deputies will outfitted with the life-saving drug Narcan as soon as possible.