6 overdose in Florida; West Point says cadets are involved

The US Military Academy said Friday that cadets from that institution were involved in a situation in which six people overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine at a South Florida vacation home during Spring Break.

Two of the six were in critical condition, rescue and emergency officials said.

The New York academy's public affairs office released a statement Friday afternoon saying its officials are ''aware of the situation involving West Point cadets, which occurred Thursday night in the community of Wilton Manors.'' It added, ''The incident is currently under investigation and no other details are available at this time.'' Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Steve Gollan told The Associated Press on Friday afternoon that two critically ill victims were on ventilators. Two other victims were in stable condition, one was in good condition and one was released. Gollan said earlier that after two victims collapsed Thursday, two others became ill while trying to give them CPR from the residue on their bodies. When paramedics arrived, six people at the home needed treatment. He said the opioid-overdose-reversing drug naloxone was administered. Neighbours told local media the home is a vacation home that is often rented out. Fentanyl is an unpredictable and powerful synthetic painkiller blamed for driving an increase in fatal drug overdoses. It's 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine and used to treat severe pain, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. It also slows a person's breathing and heart rate.

Gollan said that in the 70 days since January 1, his department has responded to 215 suspected opioid overdoses, almost all of them involved fentanyl. He did not know how many of those died, but said it is a two-year trend that started when the coronavirus pandemic began and has not abated.

The Broward County sheriff's office said its detectives are investigating along with Wilton Manors police. A spokesman said no further details could be released because of the ongoing investigation.