Suspect Arrested After Apparent Mass Fentanyl Overdose of West Point Cadets
Florida police have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with the sale of drugs that led to overdoses by multiple West Point cadets.
Axel Giovany Casseus was arrested Friday on a cocaine trafficking charge, according to NBC.
His arrest came one day after first responders were called to a rental home in Wilton Manors, Florida, the Wilton Manors Police Department said in a Facebook post.
“Investigation revealed that six (6) males were feeling the effects of a drug overdose. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded to the scene and rendered aid to the male patients. Four (4) patients were transported to Broward General Medical Center and two (2) were transported to Holy Cross Hospital. A seventh female patient was later transported to the hospital after feeling ill,” the department posted.
Among those affected were five West Point cadets who were in Florida for their spring break.
Four cadets were in cardiac arrest on the house’s front yard when first responders arrived.
Of the four cadets, two were revived with Narcan and hospitalized.
Two cadets did not respond to Narcan and were listed Saturday in critical condition.
According to WPLG-TV, the two hospitalized cadets who did not respond to Narcan are on ventilators.
The New York Post reported at least one hospitalized cadet was on the Army football team while another football team member was at the house but not hospitalized.
A suspect has been arrested for selling cocaine laced with fentanyl to several West Point cadets. The cadets were found in the front lawn of their south Florida vacation rental in cardiac arrest. @KathyParkNBC has more. https://t.co/QDvzI246tw
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) March 13, 2022
Police indicated that four people ingested the laced cocaine while three others who performed CPR were impacted because they got the drug on their lips while trying to help their friends.
Casseus was arrested after a Broward County Sheriff’s Office undercover detective bought 43 grams of cocaine for $1,000, NBC reported. Police said the transaction was audio and video recorded.
“This incident serves as a stark reminder to all, especially those visiting for Spring Break, of the deadly impacts of Fentanyl. This synthetic opioid continues to have detrimental impacts on many communities, and our agency remains committed to drug prevention and intervention initiatives,” Wilton Manors police posted on Facebook.
We got a land war in Europe and cadets at my alma mater are partying in fentanyl. I want this story to not be true. If it is, there must be *zero* mercy. This is a national embarrassment.
— Mike Jason (@mikejason73) March 12, 2022
“We view our military at a much higher standard, and it was just completely heartbreaking,” said Cub Larkin, who lives nearby, WSVN-TV reported.
“I saw four people getting pulled out on stretchers, their arms were just flopping. They were totally unconscious,” Larkin said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
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