Police: Heroin mixed with fentanyl leads to 26 overdoses within 1 week in Beaver County

BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — A batch of heroin mixed with fentanyl is to blame for 26 overdoses within the last week in Beaver County, authorities said Wednesday.

New Sewickley Police Chief Ronald Leindecker said his department is working alongside the FBI, DEA and other Beaver County agencies to find out where the batch originated.

“The bad batch, it's heroin mixed with fentanyl. It's more fentanyl than heroin,” Leindecker said.

The Beaver County district attorney said 26 overdoses were reported within five days in the county. Of those 26, three were fatal. Lenny Radzicki, father, overdosed in New Sewickley, the second in Monaca and the third in Beaver Falls.

Leindecker said police have some leads as to where the batch of mixed heroin is getting to the area.

“The dealers out there mark their products with a certain brand. You got to be careful,” he said.

The DA said officers have already gotten most of the drug off the street through undercover buys, but the county is still seeing more overdoses from another batch this week.

Leindecker said the area’s heroin epidemic is tearing apart families.

“It's devastating to families. It's a suburban drug (and) hits great families that have great children,” he said. “Somewhere along the line something happens. That's what we're trying to do now is come up with how to fix the problem.”

The DA said some arrests have been made, but they're still working on finding out exactly where the drug is coming from so he would not release any further details.

He said if police can pinpoint exactly who sold the drug that caused the deaths, that person could be charged with homicide.

Cox Media Group