Overdoses suspected after 3 found dead in LA apartment

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three men were found dead of suspected drug overdoses in a downtown Los Angeles apartment, authorities said Thursday.

A report of three unresponsive men came in at 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department media relations office.

CBSLA-TV reported that a powdery drug believed to be fentanyl was found in the apartment, along with drug paraphernalia.

One of the responding officers felt ill and was taken to a hospital.

“I went and visited with the officer at the hospital, and he’s in stable condition, they’re running some tests, but he’s expected to be released,” police Capt. Steven Ruiz told CBSLA.

Fentanyl is a highly lethal drug that has been cut into heroin for several years, and more recently has been pressed into counterfeit pills resembling prescription drugs.

Experts link the drug to the continuing rise in U.S. overdose deaths.

President Joe Biden’s administration released its first national drug control strategy last month.

“Provisionally, in the 12-months ending October 2021, an historic 105,752 persons are predicted to have died from a drug overdose,” the document said.

Synthetic opioids, including illicit fentanyl, were involved in 66% percent of these overdose deaths, it said.