Santa Cruz police respond to another suspected fentanyl overdose

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) Police responded to the encampment by the East Levee Saturday morning for the 14th drug overdose they've responded to in the last two weeks.

The Santa Cruz Police Department believes that illegal narcotics laced with a deadly amount of fentanyl are responsible for all 14 overdoses, two of which were fatal.

The department also said that an investigation into the incidents revealed that "an unknown person, or persons, had recently distributed these deadly mixes of narcotics into [the Santa Cruz] community."

Police are asking anyone who has recently purchased recreational drugs, including marijuana, not to take them.