Sheriff Simmons: Fentanyl Demand and Deadly Risk Remain Major Concerns

Escambia County, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons told Pensacola’s Morning News today that fentanyl remains a major public-safety threat even after arrests tied to Operation Nottingham. He warned that many users knowingly seek out the drug, despite the risk.

“Many of them are… they know the danger and they don’t care,” Simmons said. He also described the ruthless logic driving some suppliers. “They don’t care if an individual dies because that spreads the word that that must be good stuff,” Simmons said, describing how deadly batches can be misused as a perverse form of marketing.

Simmons emphasized that fentanyl cases take time and resources to build, and that local agencies will use available funding and overtime to keep investigations active.

The full interview with Sheriff Simmons is available at NewsRadio923.com.

Other topics Simmons covered during the interview included the sheriff’s dive team recovering a vehicle from local waters, deputies’ encounters with hungry and struggling families in the community, and the department’s ongoing workload and resource needs.