Police say they have seen a shocking spike in opioid overdoses in the last two days.
Suffolk Police Commissioner Tim Sini held a news conference Saturday where he said 22 people have overdosed on heroin, prescription pain medicine, fentanyl, or a combination of the three.
At least one of those overdoses was fatal.
"There is a problem out there with this substance that's being circulated," says Sini. "We want you to transmit that information to all your friends and neighbors so people know the risk is heightened…and that help is available."
The Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, or LICADD, issued a statement Saturday on the uptick as part of a "public service announcement in an effort to save lives," it said. Exact statistics from the police department were not immediately available.
"Based on our intelligence, it appears to be primarily related to heroin and fentanyl, which are currently appearing in highly lethal form," LICADD's director said in a statement.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic drug that is sometimes added to street heroin. It is extremely powerful and experts say when it is not carefully administered it can easily lead to overdoses.
Anyone with information on the surge in overdoses is urged to call 631-852-COPS or 631-852-NARC.