The fentanyl crisis has taken thousands of lives in San Diego County in the past few years, and though new numbers show the deaths appear to be leveling off, officials say the crisis is far from over.
Fentanyl is the number one killer of people 18 to 45 in San Diego County, according to District Attorney Summer Stephan. The youngest victim so far has been 13 years old.
Stream San Diego News for free, 24/7, wherever you are with NBC 7.
WATCH HEREImperial Beach teen Marcelino Camarena is one of the 804 people in San Diego County who experienced a fentanyl-related death last year.
Learn more about the impact of the fentanyl crisis on local communities in NBC 7’s in-depth project "Poison Pill: San Diego's Battle With the Fentanyl Crisis." Watch here.
Get top local San Diego stories delivered to you every morning with our News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP “It was devasting. He was my only son and he was suffering," said Carmelita Trujillo, Marcelino’s mother.
Trujillo said childhood trauma drove her son to mental health and emotional issues starting in the 8th grade. The skateboarder later started using drugs to cope before overdosing last August.
“It started with marijuana, then different forms of pills, then fentanyl. This was not his first attempt at taking his life<" Trujillo said.
Trujillo and county leaders spoke Tuesday night in Imperial Beach at an educational event at Mar Vista High School called Stop Fentanyl Overdoses and Save Lives.
“The most powerful deadly weapon of this time in our life is fentanyl," Stephan said at the event.
While fentanyl deaths grew exponentially from 33 in 2016 to a potential high of 814 in 2021, the number of deaths this year and last seem to be leveling off since the 2021 peak, according to Stephan, who gave partial credit to prosecutorial efforts.
Fentanyl in San Diego
“In 2022 we prosecuted 503 fentanyl dealers and we brought accountability," she said.
Educational events are another key component to the potential drop in deaths, according to Stephan; opioid reversing Narcan demonstrations and giveaways, schooling students and parents that prescription pills found on the internet can be laced with fentanyl and educating parents on how to talk to their children about escaping peer pressure situations.
“There’s different things you can say,” explained Deputy District Attorney James Fontaine, who’s the Chief of the Major Narcotics Division for the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. “'I have a medical condition, it could mess me up.' ... 'My mom tests me. She knows everything going on around so she tests and I get busted, life's over I lose my phone.'"
Trujillo is now turning the pain of losing her 17-year-old son into action, calling on county leaders to provide more mental health resources and education for teens. And for parents to open the lines of communication with their kids.
"Always be aware. Always be involved. Always be diligent and check what your kids are going through, who they're talking to and who they’re interacting with. There is hope and resources," Trujillo said.
Stephan also wants to spread awareness of the dangers of fentanyl through major league sports. She said she started a letter-writing campaign asking for a commercials to educate people about the dangers of the drug.
