Police in Indiana busted two men suspected of driving high on opioids after wrecking their car and attempting to hide nearly 150 bags of heroin behind a nearby bush.
Officers with the Indiana State Police responded to reports of a vehicle crashing into a fire hydrant Tuesday evening, which involved 46-year-old Bernard McCreary and an unidentified 38-year-old man. Neither were injured by the accident, but first responders immediately suspected the unidentified driver of the vehicle was under the influence of heroin, reports The Indiana Gazette.
While police were at the scene of the crash a firefighter allegedly spotted McCreary walking behind a bush attempting to hide a bag of heroin. A subsequent search by police yielded 147 bags of heroin concealed on McCreary and inside the vehicle.
McCreary was transported to Indiana County Jail where he faces several charges, including felony possession with intent to deliver drugs. It is unclear what specific charges the unidentified 38-year-old faces over the incident. (RELATED: CDC Warns Of ‘Dramatic Rise’ In Synthetic Opioid Deaths Over 2017)
The opioid epidemic is increasingly causing dangers on American roadways, recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database reveals. Traffic accidents linked to fentanyl are experiencing a particularly sharp increase — up 304 percent since 2007 — according to an analysis by Alcohol.org, a website for information on alcohol abuse.
Fentanyl accidents had the largest spike, however, the report also found steep rises in accidents linked to a range of other substances over the past decade. Traffic fatalities linked to the painkiller oxycodone rose by 134 percent over the same period.
Opioid overdoses made up a staggering 66 percent of all drug-overdose deaths in 2016, claiming roughly 42,249 lives, according to data released in December 2017 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Overall, drug overdoses are the leading cause of accidental death for Americans under age 50, killing more than 64,000 people in 2016.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.