Leah Androski
ECB Publishing, Inc.
On Tuesday, Aug. 15, the wife of a Hamilton County Sheriff's Office deputy contacted her husband with a frightening story. She informed him that she had recently gone grocery shopping at Publix in Live Oak. When she returned home, she opened a brand-new can of Similac Neosure Baby Formula and found a folded-up $20 bill lying on the sealed foil under the lid. Due to a Perry Police Department Officer Safety Bulletin, she was aware of the fentanyl scares and reached out to her husband. The deputy went home to field test the $20 bill. It tested positive for fentanyl.
Fentanyl cannot be absorbed through the skin. However, when unknowingly handling the drug, an individual can absorb it through their eyes or inhalation. On average, individuals touch their faces 23 times an hour. More than 150 people die every day due to overdoses of fentanyl and other opioids. Fentanyl has become the leading cause of drug overdoes since 2015. Fentanyl becomes more deadly when someone is unsuspectedly handling the substance.
Residents are advised not to pick up things that are not theirs and to report any suspicious activity to their local law enforcement.