Two people in Roseville died of apparent drug overdoses over 24 hours, leading police to warn the public about a dangerous new narcotic.
A 16-year-old and a 20-year-old died of overdoses, according to a statement by the Rose-ville Police Department. Official reports in coming weeks will determine if opioids contributed to their deaths.
Roseville officers also revived two other overdose victims within the past several days using naloxone, a medication used to treat opioid overdoses.
Police said the overdoses may be related to a pill called Perc 30, a potent narcotic mixed with fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid. Music star Prince died in 2016 of an accidental fentanyl overdose.
The highest number of overdose deaths during a 12-month period in the United States — more than 81,000 — occurred during the period ending in May 2020, according to a December report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Although overdose deaths were already increasing, statistics suggest they have accelerated during the pandemic. Synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, appear to be the primary cause.
Roseville detectives, the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating the source of the pills.
Roseville police are also teaming with other police departments to use the Overdose Mapping and Application Program (ODMAP), which "provides near real-time suspected overdose surveillance data across jurisdictions," according to the program's website.
