ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - DEA agents raided a Central West End high rise, and made an arrest in this weekend's overdose deaths. Authorities say nine victims suffered fentanyl overdoses – seven of them were fatal – inside a St. Louis apartment building on Saturday.
Chuny Ann Reed, 46, was arrested and faces federal charges for alleged distribution of crack cocaine laced with fentanyl. She is a resident of a high rise apartment on Forest Park Drive where several of the victims lived.
The suspect reportedly told police she was selling the drug to support her own addiction. The victims range in age from their 40's to 60's.
Authorities say a man was discovered dead inside his apartment from an apparent overdose on Feb. 5, after visiting Reed in her apartment earlier that day.
Additional federal charges will be considered upon the completion of the current investigation as well as the investigative and toxicology reports.
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Other St. Louis-area ambulance crews are saying it's a problem on the rise everywhere. Mark Woolbright with the union representing ambulance workers says it's also a growing problem in Jefferson and St. Charles Counties – with all age groups affected.
Eureka Fire Chief Greg Brown says his crews are working drug overdoses "almost weekly." The culprit, they say, is illegal drug makers are lacing other drugs with fentanyl, which can cause an overdose on the first exposure.
"Avoid taking the illegal substances because you don't know what they've been mixed with or cut with," Brown says. "You're literally taking your life in your hands."
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