HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Federal prosecutors have accused an Ohio man of distributing an elephant sedative to people, which they say resulted in about two dozen overdoses in a West Virginia city.
Local news organizations report that federal prosecutors on Monday charged 22-year-old Bruce Lamar Griggs with distributing carfentanil and fentanyl.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carfentanil is an elephant sedative that is 100 times more potent than fentanyl. Fentanyl is an opioid used as part of anesthesia to help prevent pain.
On Aug. 26, Griggs was charged with heroin distribution in connection with 27 overdoses that resulted in two deaths on Aug. 15 in Huntington, West Virginia.
Prosecutors also filed a motion for a guilty plea hearing on Monday. The date for the hearing has yet to be released.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
