WASHINGTON — Editor's Note: The video above was published on Jan. 31, 2022.
Police have arrested two people they say are connected to a string of overdoses that lead to the deaths of nine people in D.C.
According to a press release from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the Violent Crime Suppression Division announced the arrests of 43-year-old Sheldon Marbley and 23-year-old Shameka Hayes on several drug charges.
Officers say 14 suspected narcotic overdoses were reported on Jan. 28, 2022. Of those 14 medical emergencies, nine people died.
"The amount of fentanyl it takes to take a person's life you can barely see with the naked eye," MPD Chief Contee said at a press conference Wednesday while holding a small glass vile. "That's how serious of an issue fentanyl is in communities and this poison that's being peddled in our communities is taking the lives of people."
In a joint investigation, MPD officers, agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency's D.C. bureau and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Washington Field Office worked to secure indictments against Marbley and Hayes.
Investigators arrested Marbley and Hayes on March 22. They have been charged with conspiracy to distribute with intent to distribute cocaine and para-fluorofentanyl, unlawful distribution of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine and para-fluorofentanyl resulting in substantial bodily injury, and aiding and abetting.
This case is still under investigation. If you have any information, contact MPS at (202) 727-9099 or text your tip to the Department's TEXT TIP LINE at 50411.
If someone you know is experiencing an overdose, call 9-1-1 immediately. For information on how to get a free Naloxone kit text Live Long DC to 888111.
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