WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – It’s not just Sedgwick County seeing a rise in fentanyl. Many counties in Kansas are fighting the rise of the drug in their communities.
The Barton County sheriff said he is concerned about how much fentanyl is getting into the community. He said they keep finding it in many of the drugs they seize.
“Now, we’re finding methamphetamine that’s laced with fentanyl, and we’re seeing straight up fentanyl show up in our county,” said Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir.
A growing concern Bellendir said will continue to get worse.
“One of the problems with overdosing is people you know they may overdose and not die, but we never hear about it,” said Bellendir.
Garden City is also starting to see the drug in the community.
“From this year to last year, we’ve seen a definite increase as far as fentanyl or fentanyl mixed drugs being confiscated or seized,” said Erinn Reyes, the Garden City Police Department Public Information Officer.
It’s not just confiscations that are up. Reyes said more people are calling them about drug activity in town.
In Dodge City, the police chief said it had three fatal cases involving fentanyl in the last few years. Bellendir said the problem is here in smaller communities.
“We see it in smaller numbers. We don’t have the same amount of overdose problems, but per capita, I would bet you that we’re close to the large metro areas,” said Bellendir.
Bellendir said he believes the problem will remain until there is a way to stop the drug flow to Kansas. He, like others in law enforcement, is working on education.