Van Zandt County forms fentanyl task force after 2 student overdoses

A rural North Texas community is taking extra steps to keep fentanyl away from children.

The district attorney in Van Zandt County, southeast of Dallas, said a new task force is aggressively working to track down the dangerous opioid.

The move comes after two recent overdoses at the same school.

RELATED: DEA warns of 'nationwide spike' of fentanyl-related mass overdoses across US

The DA said the task force, which is made up of county and state law enforcement officers, found a large amount of pills at a home where people supplied fentanyl to a 13-year-old overdose victim.

"These people that sell fentanyl to our kids, they don’t go get prescription pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl. No, they sell the stuff that’s made in illicit labs, the stuff that kills. They know. They’re not stupid. They know that they sell stuff that kills to our kids," said Van Zandt County DA Tonda Curry.

Related

Narcan used to revive Carrollton middle school student

Staff members at Dewitt Perry Middle School in Carrollton used Narcan to revive a student after an apparent fentanyl overdose Wednesday.

The 13-year-old student who overdosed Monday is still in the hospital.

Another student in Van Zandt who was exposed to the drug last month is said to be doing well.

The DA said no plea deals will be offered to anyone charged with distributing deadly drugs to children.

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