BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Baton Rouge mother Pamela Rivas lost three children to drug overdoses. Two died because of fentanyl just three weeks apart.

“I describe it as a shattering of my heart. Like, literally my heart shattered into millions of pieces with each of their deaths,” said Rivas.

Rivas showed us this video her son Shawn made just a few days before his death. It’s become a form of comfort now.

“You’re never the same after you lose a child. It just changes you,” Rivas said.

According to the East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office, in 2013 there were no reported fentanyl overdose deaths. Fast forward 10 years, and in 2023 there were 289 overdoses — 243 involved fentanyl.

Drug Enforcement Administration data showed that more than 110,000 Americans lost their lives in 2022 due to drug overdoses. 70% of those were due to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

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“Fentanyl is the most dangerous drug threat the United States has ever faced,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram in an August public service announcement.

According to East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore, drug dealers are making fentanyl pills.

“We are also now in Baton Rouge seeing more and more of pressed fentanyl pills. That is in the form of a pill, which looks like any other type of drug that you may take for a legitimate prescribed reason, and that’s extremely scary,” said Moore.

Moore said it’s very hard to prosecute drug dealers on murder charges.

“We have to show the … with knowledge and intent, uh, and that the actual drugs that the person who died took were exactly from that person,” said Moore.

A new law that took effect in August implements stiffer penalties for those convicted of selling fentanyl-laced drugs.

“It just was enacted, so those cases haven’t made it through the system yet. So, no, I do believe it will have a big impact for us,” said Moore.

Community activists, like Tonja Myles, are trying to help. She takes to the streets every other week passing out Narcan and educating the public about the dangers of fentanyl.

“They think they’re getting marijuana. They think they’re getting coke. They think they’re getting, you know, whatever drug of their choice. And it’s being laced with fentanyl, ain’t nobody safe, everything can be potentially laced with fentanyl,” said Myles.

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Rivas has devoted much of her time talking to lawmakers and community leaders, asking them not to give up the fight against the worst drug epidemic ever to hit our streets.

“Take my story and the deaths of my children and bring something good from their — the ashes of their deaths to stop this from happening to anyone else,” said Rivas.

If you’re struggling with addiction and need help, you can call 988 for a free recommendation to several resources. You can also go to whenyouarereadybr.com.

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