More homeless people in Orange County are dying each year, and accidental drug overdoses involving fentanyl are a leading reason why, according to a new county report.
Within a 10-year span, the report found, the number of deaths of people experiencing homelessness more than quadrupled, with 395 deaths recorded in the county in 2021.
By 2021, the report found, 36% of the deaths of homeless people in the county were directly linked to fentanyl. An additional 8% were linked to overdoses involving other drugs.
“The rise in the number of deaths of people experiencing homelessness is concerning,” Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said in a statement. “Most troublesome is the significant increase we are seeing in fentanyl-related deaths.”
The findings were issued in a report by Orange County’s Homeless Death Review Committee, commissioned by Barnes in 2022. The committee is made up of experts, including law enforcement, health and nonprofit officials, to explore the causes of deaths among the county’s homeless.
On the other hand, Authorities seized more than 230 pounds of fentanyl, believed to be enough to kill 50 million people in Orange County.
According to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz, the San Diego sector and local law enforcement teamed up to seize 232 pounds of fentanyl believed to be worth $3 million.
“This amount of Fentanyl had the potential to kill over 50 million people,” Ortiz said on social media.
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