GRADY COUNTY, Ga. — The Grady County Sheriff's Office is warning people about potentially tainted drugs that may have fatal results if used.
According to the Thomasville Times-Enterprise, a man was found unresponsive in the backyard of his home several weeks ago due to possibly laced methamphetamine.
The paper reports investigators are still waiting for the results of a toxicology report, but they have reason to believe that the drugs the man ingested were somehow tainted. In a separate incident in Grady County, a woman suffered a near-fatal overdose several weeks ago.
Thomasville Times-Enterprise reported law enforcement says the have reason to believe the two incidents are connected, and they are investigating to establish a connection if there is one.
But Grady County isn't the only county with a meth problem. Experts say Leon County has one too, and it's getting worse.
"We've definitely seen an uptick in meth in the last couple of years," said Dave Teems, deputy with the Leon County Sheriff's Office. "It's become a lot cheaper to purchase because of the way it is being manufactured and the way it's being brought in, so we've definitely seen a lot more come in."
Deputy Teems says LCSO believes the meth is being made in Mexico and distributed through a hub in the Southeast. LCSO has seen cases in which cheap meth is laced with other drugs like Fentanyl, which can be a deadly combination.
"When you get a hold of both at the same time, it's highly addictive. Not only do you continue to try to chase that high but there is a possibility that it can kill you," said Teems.
Something that Dr. Jay Reeve, President/CEO of the Appalachee Center, knows well. He says the fastest growing substance of choice in the region is meth, far outpacing the number of people who come into the center with opioid issues.
"We saw in 2018 a 17 percent increase in people coming in to our detox unit with meth addictions and people coming in with issues surrounding meth," said Reeve.
Experts say the meth from Mexico is fueling addiction in Florida and across the country.
"Because meth has become so cheap we are likening it back to the 80s and 90s when crack hit so hard," said Teems.
But he says meth is worse than crack because it's so cheap and easy to get a hold of and it's so much more addictive.
Deputy Teems says when it comes to meth because it is so highly addictive and you don't know what someone may have put into it, leave it alone. He says if you can find a way to get to a rehab center, there are other resources out there to help, including the sheriff's office.
