Fentanyl drug trafficker living in Bellingham’s ‘Walmart encampment’ arrested
A 32-year-old man from Mexico pleaded guilty Wednesday to drug trafficking tens of thousands of fentanyl pills and selling them out of a prominent homeless encampment in Bellingham.
Approximately 22k fentanyl pills seized in Tacoma bust
Tacoma Police seized over 20,000 fentanyl pills during a narcotics operation targeting an alleged fentanyl supplier.
New investments to fight fentanyl crisis in King County
King County Executive Dow Constantine announced new investments and actions to address the surge in fentanyl deaths and help save lives.
Oregon may revive penalties for drug possession. What will the change do?
Oregon is poised to step back from its first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law with a new measure approved by the state Senate that would reinstate criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of some drugs.
Oregon nurse could face dozens of lawsuits for switching fentanyl drips with tap water
The first lawsuit brought amid reports that a nurse at a southern Oregon hospital replaced intravenous fentanyl drips with tap water seeks up to $11.5 million on behalf of the estate of a 65-year-old man who died.
Local developer goes viral promoting new video game aimed at inspiring women
For about a decade, a local developer has been creating a video game aimed at inspiring women.
Amid fentanyl crisis, Oregon lawmakers propose more funding for opioid addiction medication in jails
Kendra Sawyer spoke with her dad from the Deschutes County jail and told him she loved him. Six hours later, in the throes of opioid withdrawal, the 22-year-old took her own life.
Tribes in Washington are battling a devastating opioid crisis. Will a multimillion-dollar bill help?
Evelyn Jefferson walks deep into a forest dotted with the tents of unhoused Lummi Nation tribal members and calls out names. When someone appears, she and a nurse hand out the opioid overdose reversal medication Naloxone.
'Prolific' drug dealer arrested in Bellevue; some deals were conducted near a middle school: police
Detectives with the Bellevue Police Department Special Enforcement Team have arrested a man who they call a "prolific" drug dealer, accused of selling a wide variety of narcotics out of his RV.
Washington state reaches a nearly $150 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson over opioid crisis
The Washington state attorney general announced a $149.5 million settlement Wednesday with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, more than four years after the state sued the company over its role fueling the opioid addiction crisis.
What is tianeptine? Lawmakers sound the alarm on 'gas station heroin'
Sold at gas stations across the country under names like “ZaZa Red” and “Neptune’s Elixir,” tianeptine use can lead to serious health complications and even death, officials say.
Pipe burst floods Seattle addiction service center, closing doors to 1,300 in need
Hundreds of people in Seattle who want to get over drug addiction now face another roadblock: a pipe burst in the Evergreen Treatment Services clinic, leaving the center unusable.
As opioids devastate tribes in Washington state, tribal leaders push for added funding
Tribal leaders in Washington state are urging lawmakers there to pass a bill that would send millions of dollars in funding to tribal nations to help them stem a dramatic rise in opioid overdose deaths.
Jelly Roll gives powerful speech to Congress: 'Fentanyl transcends partisanship and ideology'
“I am a stupid songwriter y'all, but I have first hand witnessed this in a way most people have not," Jelly Roll told Congress. "Almost every person in this room has lost a friend, family member or colleague to the disease known as addiction."
DOH to provide naloxone at public high schools in Washington to combat opioid overdose
In Washington, the number of teenagers dying from overdose has surged threefold between 2016 and 2022, and Department of Health (DOH) said synthetic opioids laced with fentanyl are driving the loss of life.
Fentanyl-related overdose deaths hit all-time high in King County in 2023
King County saw a record number of fentanyl-related deaths in 2023.
3-4 overdose deaths per day in King County
New statistics from King County show that each day in 2023 an average of three to four people died from drug overdoses.
Methamphetamine, fentanyl drive record homeless deaths in Portland, Oregon, annual report finds
Fentanyl and methamphetamine drove a record number of homeless deaths last year in Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, according to an annual report released by regional officials Wednesday.
As Pacific Northwest fentanyl crisis surges, officials grapple with how to curb it
The fight against fentanyl is increasingly being waged in schools, jails and on city streets in the Pacific Northwest, where state officials in Oregon and Washington have named it a top issue as overdose deaths rise.
Drug cartels duping young people to buy fentanyl-laced pills, experts say
The DEA says drug cartels are relentlessly going after young people on social media, making it that much easier to buy and sell drugs.