Rep. Stauber Meets With Northland Law Enforcement Officials Over Fentanyl Crisis

HERMANTOWN, Minn. — Fentanyl has become an increasing problem in the Northland with 26 overdose deaths just alone this year.

Wednesday, Congressman Pete Stauber met with St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Rasmay, Lake County Chief Deputy Timothy Louma, Hermantown Chief of Police Jim Crace, and other law enforcement officials to discuss the problems, roadblocks, and possible solutions.

As of August of this year, the violence drug and crime task force has reported 26 fatal overdoses with 278 nonfatal overdoses in the Northland. In 2022, that number was 35 fatal with 378 nonfatal overdoses.

“Right now, Pete, this area is saturated with drugs. As everybody in this room knows that addiction, a lot of it revolves around accessibility and costs. And it’s all over and it’s cheap,” said St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay. “It’s almost like we’re being dumped on intentionally to bring more users into the mix.” 

On top of fentanyl concerns, the new drug Xylazine has had 20 cases within St. Louis County in May. Xylazine is a drug used for sedation or anesthesia for larger mammals like horses. If used on people can cause open sores and rotting tissue which can result in amputation. 

“We do have some young individuals out in our county that are, it looks like they’re trying to sample some of these drugs because they don’t necessarily feel like they’re narcotics,” said Carlton County Sheriff Narcotics Investigator Tony Bastien.

Area police departments are concerned over drug educational resources such as D.A.R.E programs which have been discontinued in many cities, towns, and schools since in the early 2010s. D.A.R.E. Duluth doesn’t teach it, but Hermantown does. However, having officers educate students on drugs already stretches out officers available which is a struggle with limited staffing.

“Recruitment, retention, morale, staffing, prosecution, and education. We really need to make our young folks aware of it. It’s dangerous to even try it,” said Congressman Pete Stauber. “Because just one time you’ll be knocking on the door giving the parents the worst news of their life.”

According to the CDC, last year fentanyl resulted in more than two-thirds of all overdose deaths in the United States in a three year study ranging from January 2019 to June of 2022.