5 more charged with drug conspiracy in overdose outbreak
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Five more people face federal charges in a fentanyl overdose outbreak that killed two people in Tennessee over 24 hours.
U.S. Attorney David Rivera announced the drug distribution conspiracy charges Thursday.
Over 24 hours in July, two people died and more were hospitalized around Murfreesboro from overdosing on fentanyl-laced pills made to resemble Percocet. Fentanyl can be 40 times stronger than heroin.
Those charged include: Jonathan Barrett, 29, of Murfreesboro; Eric Falkowski, 34, of Kissimmee, Florida; Davi Valles Jr., 25, of Nashville; Johnny Williams, 30, of Murfreesboro; and Jason Moss, 26, of Murfreesboro.
They face 20 years to life in prison if convicted.
Two others were previously charged in the outbreak. One pleaded guilty.
Fentanyl overdose outbreaks have ravaged other states, and spurred recent federal charges in New Hampshire, Kentucky and West Virginia.
