7 Hospitalized from Fentanyl Released in Air Vents at Ohio Detention Center

Several people were hospitalized Sunday when fentanyl came through air vents inside the Northwest Ohio Juvenile Detention Training and Rehabilitation Center; officials are investigating how it happened.

“Three corrections officers and four juveniles who were detained in the facility were taken to the hospital, according to Jeff Lehman, chief deputy for the Williams County Sheriff’s Department,” WTVG reported.

Lehman said the individuals were in stable condition and expected to recover.

Fentanyl was described as a synthetic opioid 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) website:

Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for pain management treatment of cancer patients, applied in a patch on the skin. Because of its powerful opioid properties, Fentanyl is also diverted for abuse. Fentanyl is added to heroin to increase its potency, or be disguised as highly potent heroin. Many users believe that they are purchasing heroin and actually don’t know that they are purchasing fentanyl – which often results in overdose deaths. Clandestinely-produced fentanyl is primarily manufactured in Mexico.

Meanwhile, remaining detainees were housed at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio located nearby, and Lehman noted they will stay in another area away from adults.

“Multiple fire departments, ambulances and emergency personnel were at the facility in Stryker Sunday night, including those from neighboring counties,” the WTVG report said.

During a recent interview on Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends First, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) said President Joe Biden’s administration was failing to hold China accountable for its part in fentanyl trafficking, adding Biden’s border policies and soft crime policies from New York Democrats increased the problem regarding the substance.

Malliotakis commented, “Well, just like they won’t hold China accountable for the virus, they refuse to hold China accountable for trafficking fentanyl over to the United States, whether it be directly or whether it be through Mexico and the southern border.”

“The reality is that President Biden’s open borders have led to [a] record level of fentanyl streaming over our border, and also, it is leading causes of death among 18 to 45-year-olds,” she added.