Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine, has become increasingly prevalent in the illegal drug trade.

Georgia’s state Senate passed a bill to increase penalties for anyone caught with fentanyl. New data from the CDC finds drug overdose deaths decreased by 4% nationwide. It’s the first decline since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supporters argue the bill is necessary to save lives, while opponents express concerns about criminalizing addiction and overpopulating prisons.

Two people have been arrested after a shooting incident in McCormick County. Anyone with an extra $1.8 million can now seize the “rare opportunity” to own and operate a “thriving” nudist resort in northeast Georgia.

Office of the Lt. Governor Burt Jones Today, the “Fentanyl Eradication and Removal Act” passed out of the Senate with bi-partisan support and will now head to the House for consideration. Senate Bill 79,

Three people were recently arrested after fentanyl-laced drugs led to the death of a 14-year-old and multiple other overdoses in Gwinnett County, officials announced Friday.

Matthew Alexander, 34, of Rockford is charged with drug-induced homicide. On July 28, 2024, Rockford police responded to the 1100 block of Van Wie Ave. where a 15-year-old was found dead. An autopsy showed the cause of death was the adverse effects of heroin and fentanyl.

Brenda Alfaro-Alvarado, 21, was arrested on Jan. 28 after investigators determined she sold fentanyl-laced Percocet to Marco Machado Ramirez, 14. His family said he died in his sleep.

A Georgia Senate panel advanced a bill increasing fentanyl trafficking penalties to 10-35 years due to its high lethality. The measure now heads to the Senate Rules Committee.

A 32-year-old Renton resident was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 13 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking ring connected to Aryan prison gangs. Shawn Ellis was one of over two dozen people arrested on federal charges in March 2023 when federal agents moved in following a two-year investigation of drug trafficking activities,