Dakota County in midst of fentanyl-related overdose boom: "We need to alert the public"

A Twin Cities sheriff is calling a spike in overdose cases an epidemic.

Sheriff Joe Leko says Dakota County, which has just under a half-million residents, has seen 25 suspected overdoses between May 29 through June 2. Two of those cases were fatal.

"It's at the point we need to alert the public and that there's a danger to first responders," Leko said.

He says this isn't the first time they've seen a spike like this.

"There's a lot of people experiencing this loss in overdoses that might not be your traditional drug addicts," he said. 

Leko says things have changed, but remained the same in some form. In the past, meth labs were popular, but now it's fentanyl that's taking over.

"We are in a hub, Minneapolis, St. Paul," he said. "We found out in the seven-county metro, there's an overdose every 30 minutes."

In Hennepin County, the state's most populated at 1.3 million, the problem is much worse. The sheriff's office says on average since March, they've had around 200 suspected overdose events each week. About three of those cases were deadly.

"I think we just need to be open-minded and create awareness," Leko said. "These drugs go beyond just using drugs."

Narcan, also known as naloxone, is a drug that helps someone who is overdosing. It's available at local pharmacies as well as through the Minnesota Department of Health.