Fighting Fentanyl in Placer County

Fentanyl is now the #1 killer of 18-45 year olds, surpassing car accidents and suicides. In Placer County, we saw a 450% increase in fentanyl deaths from 2019-2021. Since taking office in 2020, Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire has made the fighting fentanyl crisis one his priorities for the office.

From participating in the “1 pill can kill Placer” campaign, to pushing public service announcements, to aggressive prosecution, to working on statewide legislation, Placer County District Attorney’s Office remains committed to fighting the fentanyl issue in the county.

“Placer County has been tragically affected by the national fentanyl epidemic. We are committed to combating this crisis with continued education and awareness efforts, extensive prevention campaigns, and aggressive prosecution of those who seek to peddle this deadly drug in our community.” -- Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire

Filing murder complaints against alleged fentanyl dealers

The Placer County District Attorney’s Office filed three criminal complaints against fentanyl dealers whose sales resulted in a death.

1) 20-year-old Carson David Schewe is currently charged with murder and possession of a controlled substance for sale, as it related to a local fentanyl-related death. ***This is the first time a defendant in Placer County has been charged with murder for a fentanyl-related death.*** Learn more

2) 20-year-old Nathaniel Cabacungan is charged of murder for a death of a 15-year old girl. Learn more - UPDATE - Cabacungan was convicted of murder on Oct. 10, 2023 - the first fentanyl murder conviction in the state.

3) The Placer County District Attorney's Office amended the criminal complaint against 24-year-old Arron Dare to add the charge of murder, as it relates to a local Auburn area fentanyl death. Learn more

4) The Placer County District Attorney’s Office filed murder charges against 42-year-old Brandon Garner, as it relates to a local fentanyl death. Learn more

SPEAKERS PANEL

Through the Placer County District Attorney's Office Speakers Panel -- the One Pill Can Kill campaign is taking their message directly to the schools. Partnering with local school districts, the campaign is holding forums at local schools to educate parents and students on the dangers of fentanyl. Anyone interested in hosting a forum can request a presentation here.

The District Attorney’s Office began collaborating with local school districts and families who have lost a loved one to fentanyl to bring the 1 Pill message to our local high schools. Together, we began scheduling for both student assemblies and parent information nights. Watch recordings of both students and a shortened parent presentations here.

Since the launch of this program in 2022, we have talked to over 30,000 Placer County students on the dangers of fentanyl.

“Fentanyl is one of the most critical and frightening issues affecting our communities,” said Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire. “The lethality of this synthetic drug, coupled with the blatant deceit by the dealers and the rapid spike in poisonings over the last few years, is both terrifying and heartbreaking. This epidemic is advanced, swift, and fatal – four in ten pills purchased in the online marketplace are deadly. We must continue to educate the community through the One Pill Can Kill campaign and we will continue to pursue these dealers aggressively and hold them accountable to the full extent of the law.”

1 Pill can Kill Marketing campaign

Placer Property Tax Bill Inserts

Placer DA also partnered with the Placer County Treasurer-Tax Collector and Placer County Document Solutions to print inserts to go into 175,000 tax bills in order to take the message directly to homeowners in the county.

Billboards

The campaign partnered with local cities to purchase billboards throughout Placer County.

Bus wraps

Our office sponsored 1 Pill Can Kill Placer ads on Roseville Transit buses. We will continue to look for unique opportunities to get the message of the dangers of fentanyl to as many of people as possible. Learn more at 1PillCanKillPlacer.com

Statistics

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that more than 100,000 Americans — including about 10,000 in California — died of drug overdoses during the year-long period that ended in 2021.
That’s a record high and a nearly 29% increase from the year before.
Almost 64% of deaths were caused by the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
Over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.