Augusta, GA
A flood of fentanyl: How Augusta is responding
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – One of the most dangerous drugs continues to poison our area, stealing lives and destroying families.
In the month of June alone, investigators say they took nearly 60 pounds of drugs off the streets, including eight pounds of fentanyl.
In 2021, deputies recovered five pounds of fentanyl in the county–a number that’s grown by the year, with seven pounds in 2022 and 16 in 2023.
We are still waiting on recent data for 2024 and 2025, but the numbers we have support what law enforcement tells us – it’s not the first time they’ve seized fentanyl, and it will not be the last.
“It’s flooded,” said Investigator Erik Williams, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit. “Every street drug known has fentanyl in it now.”
During a drug bust last month, deputies say they seized enough fentanyl to potentially kill nearly 330,000 people — which is enough to endanger the entire population of Richmond County.
“Frightening as this is, you can get your cell phone and you can say how to buy fentanyl, and Chinese companies will come up. You can have it delivered to your house,” said Williams.
Williams says it’s a challenging substance to control.
“We start concentrating on the pills, then they come out with the powder. So now we gotta combat that. Now they have a liquid, so it’s constantly changing.”
He says even the smallest information can help execute busts like the ones we have seen in recent weeks.
For those struggling with fentanyl addiction, there are also options. Georgia Overdose Prevention is in Harrisburg every Tuesday.
Dolly Neese tells us she once needed those options.
“I was a homeless IV drug user, and I was out here in this very neighborhood, actually,” said Dolly Neese, harm reduction advocate for Georgia Overdose Prevention.
Now, you can find her in that same neighborhood, handing out Narcan, fentanyl test strips and narcan training.
Neese offers knowledge that not everyone has, so she’s here, reaching those on the path she once walked.
“We want to be that bridge for people who want to make changes or maybe want to make changes in the future, so that they do have those resources when they’re ready,” said Neese.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Georgia Gubernational candidate Geoff Duncan made another appearance in Augusta on Monday, speaking at the IBEW Local 1579 on Reynolds Street.
Duncan is one of the three candidates vying for the Democratic nomination. Duncan said when he served as lieutenant governor of the state, he fought to expand access to health care in rural communities. He said if he’s elected, he’ll focus on lowering costs in other areas.
Duncan stopped by NewsChannel 6 ahead of the campaign stop to speak about his plans.
“Look, 90% of Georgians know what they’re talking about when they want to pass commonsense gun legislation like universal background checks, red flag laws, and in-home safe storage laws. As governor, I want to lead the charge, and I want to give political cover to those Republicans that want to do the right thing, build those consensus around those bills,” Duncan said. “I hope to get some of them the cosign that legislation. Because it meets people where they’re at. It’s common sense. Look, I don’t want anybody to ever walk by a television screen and make another excuse for a mass shooting when it could have been stopped. With just common sense laws that are on the books.”
Photojournalist credit: Regynal McKie
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Golden Harvest Food Bank is partnering with local legal organizations for the 15th Annual Georgia Food Frenzy.
The fundraising competition is held in partnership with Feeding Georgia, the Office of the Georgia Attorney General, the State Bar of Georgia, and the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia.
The two-week competition runs from April 20th through May 1st, and every dollar raised stays local, supporting Golden Harvest’s work across the state of Georgia.
Groups can register at www.galegalfoodfrenzy.org/sign-up, and registration will remain open throughout the competition.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Georgia gubernatorial candidate Geoff Duncan campaigned in Augusta ahead of Election Day, making stops at two churches and meeting with local faith leaders.
The former lieutenant governor visited Good Hope Baptist Church on Cedar Street, where he spoke with the Greater Augusta Interfaith Coalition’s “Music to the Polls” group.
Duncan told us that, if elected governor, he wants to expand Medicaid, pass what he called “common-sense gun legislation,” and create more economic opportunities statewide. He also pointed to affordability concerns impacting families and businesses.
“I want to take $1.7 billion of our state’s fund and wrap it around the axle of poverty,” Duncan said, adding that he wants to lower child care costs and improve temporary assistance programs.
Duncan also stopped at Miles Memorial Church on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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