Welcome to Arrest Stories. A thirty-one-year-old man recently released from federal prison has been arrested in Charleston following a devastating wave of thirty-five overdoses that left thirty people hospitalized. Here's what may have happened.
Wednesday night into Thursday morning brought chaos to Charleston as emergency responders raced from call to call, dealing with an unprecedented surge of overdoses. Anton Marcel Jeffries, who had just walked out of federal prison, allegedly began distributing what authorities believe was fentanyl laced with xylazine, commonly known as the zombie drug.
The situation quickly spiraled beyond typical overdose responses. Emergency personnel discovered their usual life-saving protocols weren't working as expected. "Usually when you hit somebody with Narcan it will stop the opioid for the most part, this time, they were either coming out violent or coming out still, still under the tranquilizer efforts, and they just weren't recovering like they normally would," officials reported.
By Thursday, SOAR West Virginia issued an urgent overdose alert as thirty out of thirty-five victims required immediate medical treatment. The suspected xylazine contamination created a nightmare scenario for first responders, who found themselves dealing with victims who either became violent upon revival or remained dangerously sedated despite Narcan administration.
Charleston police launched an intensive investigation, working around the clock to identify the source. Their efforts paid off Friday afternoon when they arrested Jeffries on charges of intent to deliver fentanyl. Authorities also discovered he had an active warrant out of Cabell County.
The toll on law enforcement was significant. "It was intense, there were a lot of people that missed out on a lot of sleep, a lot of time with their families but those are sacrifices that our officers make and our investigators make to make sure that we don't lose a human life and if that's what they're going to do I can't be more proud of them," officials stated.
Charleston police delivered a stern warning to other dealers: "If you are in the city of Charleston peddling this poison to our residents, to our neighbors, to our family members, you will be held accountable—we're coming for you."
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.