Emily Gray Rice, U.S. Attorney for NH, and Joseph Foster, Attorney General of NH, formed an inter-office team of all drug prosecutors to increase and coordinate the prosecutorial resources focused on cases involving overdose deaths. New Hampshire has the third-highest rate of per capita drug overdose deaths nationwide, with 431 individuals having died from drug overdoses in the state in 2015. Of these deaths, 279 resulted from overdoses of fentanyl, either alone or in combination with other drugs.
"This effort builds on the initiative started by my office at the end of 2015 to treat drug overdose deaths as crime scenes, and to bring to justice those who have sold drugs to overdose victims," says Foster.
"Our joint team effort to prosecute those who are criminally responsible for overdose deaths is a critical element of the multi-faceted law enforcement approach needed to combat the drug epidemic in our state,” says Rice. “Our prosecutors are committed to collaborating with our law enforcement partners and the County Attorneys’ offices to hold accountable those who are engaging in or profiting from the distribution of illegal drugs in our state."
Current Issue - May 2024