First fentanyl strike team will 'combat the scourge of fentanyl' across Central Valley

As the fentanyl crisis worsens in cities across the country, leaders in Stockton and San Joaquin County are searching for solutions.

At a meeting this week, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the first-ever fentanyl strike team, known as the Fentanyl Intervention and Response Safety Team (FIRST). The team will help the District Attorney's Office combat the rise of fentanyl use within the county.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths. Even in small doses, the drug can be deadly, according to San Joaquin County Public Health Services.

"San Joaquin County is facing a rapidly increasing, near epidemic-level of fentanyl use resulting in tragic, preventable overdoses," county officials wrote in a report to supervisors. "The new proposed unit within the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office will combat the scourge of fentanyl, fentanyl dealers and the lasting adverse effects to San Joaquin County."

District Attorney Ron Freitas called fentanyl the county's biggest public health crisis and warned that it can affect anybody.

"Fentanyl pills are made to look like nonlethal prescription pills such as Xanax and Percocet, or candy," Freitas said during the meeting. "No longer is this an overdosing problem, but a deliberate poisoning of our community, unfairly affecting our teens, individuals of color, and our communities of poverty."

In 2021, there were 60 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in San Joaquin County, more than one every week. Fire departments responded to five times as many nonfatal overdoses.

Officials with the District Attorney's Office said additional funding from the county will help hire more staff to tackle the crisis. Currently, there is only one dedicated narcotics prosecutor and another prosecutor that dedicates less than 50% of their time to narcotics cases. From June 2022 to June 2023, the office reviewed 296 cases involving fentanyl — 121 of those cases were charged as felonies, while 159 were filed as misdemeanors and 16 saw no charges.

The FIRST team will consist of 11 staffers: three deputy district attorneys, two investigators, a paralegal, a crime analyst, a public information specialist, a victim witness advocate, and two legal technicians. The cost for establishing the team — including staffing positions and operating costs — is totaled at $2.25 million.

"Our FIRST team provides a unique strategy. There will be enough intervention, rallies at high schools, public information campaigns, investigation of overdoses to identify hotspots, and cooperation with local, state and federal task forces to prosecute major traffickers," Freitas said. "We can not only protect the public with awareness, and adequately deal with large-scale dealers of fentanyl, but provide justice for both the victims and family members."

Supervisor Steve Ding said he was looking forward to seeing more outreach efforts being made in public schools. He noted that he and Freitas recently had a conversation about the issue in which Freitas told him there were no educational activities regarding fentanyl at the middle and high school levels.

"I found that really hard to believe so I went to the teachers and the administrators I know, and the blank look in their eyes was just astonishing to me," Ding said. "This is extremely important to me. Our number one role is to protect the public and this is right there with it."

Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua (D-Stockton) spoke during public comment in support of establishing the team. He referenced Assembly Bill 701, which adds fentanyl to the list of controlled substances. The list currently includes heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. AB 701 passed the Assembly in May.

"Fentanyl has been a main focus of mine in the current legislation session. While I continue to fight in Sacramento for laws to protect our community, we need partners locally that will take direct action today on fentanyl," Villapudua said. "Any bill that goes to public safety dies, especially this stuff. They don't want to see this. But the reason why we made this change is because it's not a war on drugs. It's a war on poison. It doesn't discriminate."

Villapudua noted that many drugs are laced with fentanyl and people are often unaware of it. Fentanyl can't be seen, tasted or smelled, according to public health officials.

"I've got a room of interns right here. I worry about them because they're in college. They're thinking, 'Hey, I want to stay up later.' This stuff is laced, but they don't see it," the assemblymember said. "The education component about it is very, very important. This is not just for folks on the streets. This is for our kids."

Ding echoed Villapudua's sentiments. He said he went to a funeral last week for a young woman who died from fentanyl poisoning. She was two months shy of her 20th birthday.

"The mom's comment was, 'She had one moment of weakness,'" Ding said as he choked back tears at the dais.

The FIRST program is expected to begin operating July 31, with presentations in the county's largest high schools planned for August.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Fentanyl strike team will help San Joaquin County prosecutors fight drug