CONCORD, NH — Fentanyl continues to be mixed into many illicit drugs with devastating results.
Last year, three individuals were found dead in a Littleton home after reportedly ingesting cocaine laced with fentanyl. Cases like this, where individuals experiment with drugs and result in catastrophic consequences, are why there is “No Safe Experience” when it comes to taking illicit drugs because they could contain fentanyl.
With National and New Hampshire Fentanyl Awareness Day on May 7, officials in New Hampshire are calling on all individuals to be aware of the life-threatening dangers associated with fentanyl, a substance that is 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin and morphine. The statewide public awareness campaign “No Safe Experience” focuses on educating youth, young adults and families of the prevalence of fentanyl in illicit drugs and counterfeit pills and a very small dose can lead to death due to its high potency.
According to the New Hampshire Department of Safety, there were 430 overdose deaths in the Granite State in 2023. Of these, nearly 85 percent were from substances where fentanyl was present. In the same year, there were 4,080 suspected overdose incidents reported, many of which required Narcan use by first responders. Death tolls may have been significantly higher if these measures were not taken.
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“Fentanyl is an unforgiving, deadly, invisible killer that can take the life of anyone who decides to use an illicit substance,” Colonel Mark Hall, the director of the New Hampshire State Police, said. “It is important to create a high level of awareness that there is No Safe Experience when it comes to illicit drugs and fake pills, as our forensic lab commonly finds fentanyl in these types of substances.”
Gov. Chris Sununu issued a proclamation declaring May 7, 2024, Fentanyl Awareness Day in New Hampshire. The proclamation stated that “illicit fentanyl use is widespread and deadly and poses a significant public health risk. The State of New Hampshire joins all those who have been affected by fentanyl misuse in spreading awareness of the harm that fentanyl can cause; resources are available for loved ones dealing with substance misuse; and reminds all Granite Slaters there is No Safe Experience when consuming any drugs that have not been prescribed by a medical provider and taken by the person they were prescribed to as directed by a healthcare professional.”
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid typically used to treat patients with chronic severe pain or severe pain following surgery. A dose the size of a few grains of salt can be lethal, and it is often found to be mixed with other illicit substances, including cocaine, methamphetamines, and heroin. It is now regularly seen in fake pills branded as Oxycodone and Percocet, among others, and is undetectable without testing.
According to an April 2024 report by Statista, there has been a dramatic surge in drug overdose deaths in the U.S. over the past 10 years, which is primarily driven by the rise of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. According to preliminary data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdose deaths exceeded 110,000 in 2022, with synthetic opioids involved in 76,000 of those deaths.
The No Safe Experience campaign will run through the fall and is focused on individuals who may be inclined to try substances without fully understanding what they are, where they came from and what might actually be in them. The campaign includes videos, public service announcements, social media resources, billboards, and an informational website. Posters, racks cards and decals were distributed to 217 public middle and high schools and educational toolkits and resources are available to schools across the state.
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For more information, facts, and resources, visit NoSafeExperience.org.
Submitted by the New Hampshire Department of Public Safety.
WILTON, N.H. (WHDH) – A woman died in a Wilton, New Hampshire, house fire Wednesday morning, according to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office.
At 9:08 a.m., Wilton firefighters responded to Burns Hill Road after a caller said their home was filling up with smoke. When they arrived, a single-family home was on fire and they found out two people were still inside on the second floor.
A man and a woman were both taken out of the house by firefighters and taken to Elliott Hospital. The woman was pronounced dead and the man is in serious condition.
Officials have not released the name of the victim at this time.
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At this time, investigators are looking into the cause of the fire and are trying to determine if a power outage in the area played a factor. The fire is not currently considered suspicious.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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Diane Durgin, 67, is accused of shooting at a Black man who inadvertently drove to her property after a prearranged truck part sale, prosecutors said.
A New Hampshire woman is accused of violating the state’s Civil Rights Act four times after she allegedly shot at a man because he was Black, prosecutors said.
Diane Durgin, 67, of Weare, N.H. could face up to a $5,000 fine for each violation she is found to have committed, the office of New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a press release Tuesday.
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Durgin is also charged with criminal threatening against a person with a deadly weapon and attempted first degree assault with a deadly weapon, Michael Garrity, a media representative for the New Hampshire Attorney General, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.
Durgin had a final pre-trial conference last week, Garrity said.
In a civil complaint filed Tuesday, Durgin is accused of threatening physical force against the victim, the AG said. Prosecutors asked the court to issue a preliminary injunction barring Durgin from repeating her alleged behavior and from contacting the victim and his family.
During the morning hours of Oct. 20, 2024, the victim claims, he “mistakenly” drove to Durgin’s home after a prearranged purchase of a truck part with a seller online, prosecutors wrote as part of their request for an injunction.
When the man — whom prosecutors identified in court documents as X.G. — arrived, Durgin allegedly stepped out of her home and approached his car with a gun “holstered by her waist,” prosecutors wrote.
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Upon noticing that X.G. was Black, Durgin allegedly “removed her gun and pointed it at X.G.,” prosecutors said in the injunction request.
While X.G. explained that he was lost, Durgin called the victim a “Black mother[expletive],” and threatened to “kill him,” prosecutors allege.
As the victim attempted to drive away, Durgin allegedly took her gun and fired two shots at the fleeing man’s car, missing both times, the AG’s office said.
While on the phone with a dispatcher, Durgin allegedly said she shot the man’s car because the victim is Black, the AG said.
“The guy is Black. And he, he…he says he’s meeting someone here and I think he’s coming here to steal,” Durgin allegedly said.
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Police located X.G. and brought him to the Weare Police Department, stopping along the way at the correct seller’s home to complete the truck part purchase, prosecutors wrote in court documents.
To prove a violation of the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act, the AG must show that Durgin “interfered or attempted to interfere with the rights of the victim to engage in lawful activities by threatening to engage in or actually engage in physical force or violence, when such actual or threatening conduct was motivated by race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability,” prosecutors said.
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