Resources
Supporting Police & Public Safety

FOX5: Fentanyl overdoses surge in Virginia; New bill targets online sales

Mar 19, 2024
In the News
Supporting Police & Public Safety

FOX5, TOM FITZGERALD

From 2021-2023 in Prince William County, Police Chief Peter Newsham says they’ve seen 177 fatal fentanyl overdoses, including 10 suspected overdose deaths in 2024.

Faced with the alarming numbers of fentanyl overdoses in Virginia, Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger tells FOX 5 she’s introducing a new bipartisan bill aimed at stopping online sales of counterfeit pills that are laced with fentanyl. 

“Crisis” is a word that gets used to describe a lot of things, but when it comes to fentanyl overdoses in Prince William County, the police chief tells FOX 5 that “a crisis” is the only way to describe what they are dealing with.

Congresswoman Spanberger has teamed up with Chief Newsham to highlight the Congresswoman’s bipartisan bill to fight the online sale of fentanyl in counterfeit pills. 

The Targeting Online Sales of Fentanyl Act investigates online sales of fentanyl through counterfeit pills and determines if law enforcement and online companies are doing enough to stop the sales.

“The reality is that fentanyl is a money-making endeavor,” Spanberger said Tuesday. “They are using aggressive and highly technical and highly aggressive means in which to get those drugs across the border.”

“That’s real. That’s happening,” Chief Newsham explained. “The folks that are distributing fentanyl are purposely trying to deceive folks by creating these pressed pills that look like prescription drugs to fool people into using them thinking they’re safe, and ultimately they’re not!” Chief Newsham explained. 

The attorney general of Arizona says over half of the fentanyl seized in the U.S. was seized at Arizona’s border with Mexico. Officials there are looking here to Capitol Hill to provide final funding, so they can start using high-tech fentanyl screening that would detect the drugs.

 Spanberger has assembled a high profile group of co-sponsors for this fentanyl bill. In the house Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw in the house has signed on. The bill is co-sponsored by Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz and New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker.

Recent Posts

Sep 10, 2024
Social Security, Medicare, & Retirement

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: National Groups Back Discharge Petition for Social Security Fairness Act, Spanberger & Graves Push to Force U.S. House Vote on Bipartisan Bill to Eliminate WEP & GPO

The Bipartisan “Social Security Fairness Act” Would Eliminate Two Provisions of the “Social Security Act” That Unfairly Reduce Benefits for Millions of Americans Who Have Devoted Much of Their Careers to Public Service — Including Federal Employees, Police Officers, Firefighters, & Educators WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and Garret Graves (R-LA-06) today filed […]

Sep 10, 2024
Social Security, Medicare, & Retirement

Spanberger, Graves File Discharge Petition for Social Security Fairness Act, Push to Force U.S. House Vote on Bipartisan Bill to Eliminate WEP & GPO

Spanberger & Graves: “With Broad Support from Lawmakers on Both Sides of the Aisle, We Must Use Every Mechanism Available to Right This Wrong For Millions Of Americans” The Bipartisan “Social Security Fairness Act” Now Has 326 Cosponsors — Far More Support Than Needed to Guarantee the Legislation Would Pass on the U.S. House Floor […]

Sep 9, 2024
Uncategorized

Spanberger Urges Amazon, eBay, Facebook Marketplace to Crack Down on the Resale of Stolen Goods, Backs Bill to Address Supply Chain Theft

The Average American Family Will Pay More Than $500 Annually in Additional Costs Due to Increased Prices Caused by Organized Retail Crime WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today pressed online retailers — including Amazon, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace — for information on their efforts to curb the resale of stolen goods. Consumers, communities, and businesses bear […]