JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Overdose deaths in Jacksonville have dropped by more than half since 2022.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said it is all thanks to proactive narcotics investigations.
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“These units have been hard at work removing dangerous narcotics from our community and arresting traffickers who profit from pushing poison in our city,” Waters said.
In 2021, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office created the narcotics overdose death investigations unit in response to the exposure toxicity deaths. Waters said this was mainly driven by the entry of synthetic opioids in the street narcotics market.
Those specialized detectives are tasked with investigating overdose deaths to build manslaughter cases against drug traffickers who source lethal drugs or narcotics.
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And now numbers from JSO show the impact.
In 2022, JSO investigated 472 overdose deaths. That number dropped to 433 in 2023, then 317 in 2024, and so far this year, it’s down to 221 overdose deaths.
Based on those investigations, the unit has already arrested 17 drug dealers on manslaughter charges in 2025.
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Waters had a message for traffickers.
“If you’re a drug trafficker in Jacksonville, stay away from here,” Waters said. “Don’t come here. We don’t want you here and keep your poison out of our city.”
The sheriff said many of their narcotics investigations are spearheaded by complaints from concerned citizens. He is encouraging folks to continue to report things to the agency.
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