WASHINGTON, D.C. —On Dec. 8, 2024, the air was crisp as Kimberly Douglas, of Bowie, Maryland, made her way to her son Bryce’s gravestone in National Harmony Memorial Park in Landover. It had been nearly 18 months since she lost the 17-year-old to a fentanyl overdose.

This day of remembrance is a stark reminder of the urgent need to prevent similar tragedies.

Tracie Gardner, executive director of the National Black Harm Reduction Network, and Daliah Heller, vice president of Overdose Prevention Initiatives at Vital Strategies, wrote about Douglas’ ordeal in an opinion piece for the Washington Informer. 

“The pain of the day Kimberly lost her son is seared into her soul,” they wrote in the piece. “She worked at her home office in Bowie in the early afternoon. Bryce was home early from school and napped in his bedroom, just one room away. 

“When Kimberly found him unresponsive, she frantically searched her home for naloxone, a medicine that reverses an overdose and prevents death. In her panic, she couldn’t find it. It wasn’t until later, through tears of grief and disbelief, that she discovered the naloxone — in Bryce’s pocket. He had it all along.”

The authors note that over the past five years, a staggering half million people died from overdose in the United States, but recent reports suggest a steady upward trend over two decades is reversing. The latest data from the CDC shows a 17% decline in deaths from Sept. 2023 through Aug. 2024. 

Over the past decade, however, deaths have skyrocketed in Black and Indigenous populations, and now overdose rates have begun to diverge by race.

A recent analysis of CDC data from the O’Neill Institute shows that through 2023, in many states, while deaths were leveling off and even declining among White populations, they were still rising in Black and Indigenous populations. 

Kimberly Douglas has started a Facebook group, Black Moms Against Overdose, to share information. “I think it’s super important because there’s such a stigma in Black families with sharing anything that has to do with substance use disorder or mental health, especially around overdose and death,” she said. “After Bryce passed, I tried to immerse myself in this world and inform others about what our children face and how we can save them.” 

Black Moms Against Overdose can be reached at https://www.facebook.com/groups/569231315512728/ or if you are a Facebook member https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Black moms against overdose

Gardner and Heller assert that now is the time for action. “Local governments should establish and support partnerships with Black community leaders to share overdose prevention information and naloxone resources with local communities,” they write. “Engagement is especially critical now to ensure equitable access to naloxone and reduce disparities and overdose deaths for everyone.”

Naloxone is easy to use and available for free from most local health departments and a growing number of community partners in cities and towns across the country. It is also available for purchase over the counter at any pharmacy. 

The key to saving a life with naloxone is administering it as soon as you recognize any sign of an overdose. Anyone who is in the community with someone who uses drugs —  family, friends, local businesses, neighbors and associates — can be activated and prepared to help.

The post Fighting the stigma: Black moms unite to prevent overdose deaths appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

By Moira Muntz

press@familiesagainstfentanyl.org

AKRON/CINCINNATI – In a first-of-its kind judgment against an illicit fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking organization, a Summit County, Ohio, judge issued an $18 million judgment against the Zheng cartel, the maximum punitive damages allowed under Ohio law, in response to a lawsuit filed by James Rauh, Families Against Fentanyl founder, after the death of his son Tommy. Rauh, who is based in Akron, announced the ruling and additional details at an Aug. 9 event in Cincinnati that was led by Congressman Brad Wenstrup (OH-02).

“Our son, Tommy, was stolen from us. He never stood a chance against the incredibly potent poison provided by the Zhengs. All for what? The reckless and malicious greed of the Zheng cartel. To save American lives, we must stop the foreign manufacturers and traffickers of illegal fentanyl and hold them accountable. In Tom’s memory, our family is committed to doing our part,” said Rauh, whose nonprofit Families Against Fentanyl is a leading voice for fentanyl awareness.

Rauh’s son, Thomas “Tommy” Rauh, was prescribed opioids by a doctor after a rollerblading accident. Like so many other people in Ohio and across the country, Tommy became addicted to prescription opioids. He eventually moved to using heroin. As James Rauh testified in court proceedings, Tommy “battled his disease with the heart of a lion” and was proud to work with his father at the family business. Despite his best efforts to overcome addiction, Tommy died in 2015 while trying to take an injection that, unknown to him, contained acetyl fentanyl from China, produced and sold by the Zheng drug trafficking organization. The acetyl fentanyl in the injection was so potent that Thomas lost consciousness and died before even being able to complete the injection.

In 2020, James Rauh filed suit against the Zheng drug trafficking and manufacturing organization for its role in the death of his son from fentanyl poisoning, and in the enormous spike in fentanyl-related deaths in the United States.  The lawsuit was filed following a U.S. Department of Justice investigation that found Tommy Rauh died as a result of being poisoned by illicit acetyl fentanyl produced and sold by the Zheng drug trafficking and manufacturing organization.

In recommending the $18 million in damages to the district judge, Summit County Magistrate Judge Kandi S. O’Connor wrote, “After a review of the testimony and evidence presented, this Court finds that defendants are responsible and liable for the wrongful death of Tommy Rauh. The Court further finds that the defendants acted with conscious disregard and malice for their actions in relation to the wrongful death of Rauh.”

O’Connor also noted in her decision that she would have awarded greater punitive damages if not limited by caps under Ohio law, writing that “this punitive damage award is inadequate.”

Rauh announced the $18 million judgment by Ohio Judge Kathryn Michael against the Zheng cartel at a roundtable event led by Congressman and physician Brad Wenstrup, featuring families and advocates in the region impacted by the illicit fentanyl crisis. The Rauh family was awarded $18 million plus attorneys’ fees, court costs and interest at the statutory rate.

The post Ohio family wins $18 million fentanyl death judgment against Chinese cartel appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .

Approximately 21 pounds of heroin/fentanyl mixture was seized. Photos provided by Cincinnati Police Department

Federal agents and Cincinnati police worked together to build a case that they say led to the largest ever opiate seizure in our area. A search warrant was served at a home on Lawndale in Pleasant Ridge On November 21, where police said they recovered 21 pounds of a heroin/fentanyl mixture. The estimated street value of the drugs has been placed at $1 million, police said. Police said they also seized $100,000 in cash.

Police arrested Anthony Penny, 29, whom they believe was the head of a heroin distribution network with possible connections to Mexican cartels.

Police Chief Eliot Isaac celebrated this as a major arrest. “Think about the amount of lives that are probably saved, the amount of violence that’s prevented around the sale of this,” Isaac said. “I know at times the community may feel frustration when they make complaints and they often feel that there’s no result in it, but this is how this type of investigation begins,” Isaac said.

Police said they tried to arrest Penny at his home in Colerain Township, but he got away. He wound up running back to the stash house in Pleasant Ridge, where he was finally arrested.

“Our officers were spit on, they were bit, they were punched, they were kicked – and this is all while he’s in handcuffs,” said Tim Reagan, the resident agent for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

Penny and two other individuals not yet identified were arrested in connection with this investigation.

Penny appeared in Federal Court on November 21, for his initial appearance on charges of possession with intent to distribute heroin and assault on a federal law enforcement officer.

The Cincinnati Police Department District Four Violent Crimes Squad in conjunction with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the Ohio State Patrol, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio executed multiple search warrants in connection with the case.

The post Pleasant Ridge drug bust nets $1 million heroin/fentanyl mixture appeared first on The Cincinnati Herald .