LA Inmates Survive After Overdosing On Fentanyl

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Five Los Angeles inmates who overdosed on fentanyl, mistaking it for methamphetamine, are recovering after being hospitalized Tuesday, authorities said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reports that the men were lodged in a temporary cell in the Men's Central Jail when they were discovered unresponsive and disoriented.

One of the inmates, a 19-year-old man, appeared unconscious with no vital signs. Sheriff's deputies and medical staff began performing CPR on him, and then administered Narcan, a nasal spray for opiod overdoses.

Los Angeles Fire Department crews arrived on scene gave the man more Narcan, which then revived him.

All five inmates were taken to a local hospital for treatment. They have all since been released from the hospital and have been transferred out of LASD custody.

Sheriff's investigators determined that one of the inmates had been in possession of fentanyl, which he shared with the other four inmates after mistaking it for meth. Fentanyl is an opioid used in pain medication that can potentially be deadly.

"It is estimated that the amount of Fentanyl in the inmate's possession could have caused harm or death to hundreds of people if exposed or ingested," LASD said in a news release.