Mass Overdose In Moreno Valley Leads To Death, Multiple Hospitalizations

One person died and three others were sent to hospital after an apparent mass drug overdose at a home in Moreno Valley, California.

Authorities responded to an emergency call in the 23000 block of Elyce Court around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Los Angeles TV station KTLA reported. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department said there were "multiple subjects unresponsive" inside the house.

Upon arrival, responders found one person who had already died, while three men were rushed to the hospital for "treatment of life-threatening injuries" after overdosing on an "unknown substance."

"Early findings would indicate drugs are a factor in the death and we do not suspect foul play," the Sheriff's Department was quoted as saying by Los Angeles Times.

Another suspected case of drug overdose was also reported Saturday. A man was killed and two women were rushed to the hospital after suspected ingestion of fentanyl in a hotel room, local TV station ABC7 reported.

The county sheriff's deputies went to Best Western Hotel & Suites, where the three victims were found in a room with "drug paraphernalia."

As of October, there had been 350 deaths related to fentanyl this year, according to Sheriff Chad Bianco. Last year, authorities recorded more than 400 fentanyl-related deaths.

Sgt. Wendy Brito-Gonzalez said they are alarmed by the rising number of drug overdose cases among youth. "Law enforcement deals with this every single day and it seems to happen more often among adults, and we're seeing it now with your children."

In June, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that over 100,000 Americans died from a drug overdose this year, a 2.3% increase from last year.

In the last three years, fentanyl overdose deaths among young people have skyrocketed. In 2021, there were 884 overdose deaths, 680 in 2020, and 253 in 2019. It also became the leading cause of drug deaths among teenagers in 2021.

In September, the Biden administration released $1.5 billion to states and territories to address the drug overdose problem and increase access to treatment for substance use disorder.

The White House also allocated $12 million to law enforcement agencies to help their anti-drug operations and tackle violent drug-related crime.

For 2023, President Joe Biden requested the Congress $42.5 billion in funding for federal agencies attached to the National Drug Control Program.