Bronx residents and officials talk about fentanyl prevalence in the borough: "Walk around the corner. You'll find it"
NEW YORK - Street vendors on East Kingsbridge Road are the eyes and ears of the community. That's why one woman, who asked not to be named, wants to alert everyone about how serious the fentanyl issue really is on the block.
"The needles are here on the street like if you were picking an apple," she said in Spanish.
Just down the street, a few weeks ago, is where 1-year-old Nicholas Dominici died in day care from a fentanyl exposure. The NYPD say they found fentanyl stashed inside a closet and the floorboards, enough fentanyl to kill 500,000 people.
A week later, and one block from the day care, another fentanyl bust. Federal agents say they seized 40 pounds.
"How easy is it to find fentanyl in the Bronx?" asked CBS New York's Shosh Bedrosian.
"Walk around the corner. You'll find it," said Bronx native Angel Moldonado.
Moldonado was a drug user for almost all his life, quickly becoming a heroin user at a young age. The 48-year-old is now in recovery at Samaritan Daytop Village in the South Bronx. He says he became addicted to fentanyl when he was unaware the heroin he bought was laced with it.
"I tried to stop it and go do heroin, but heroin wasn't doing nothing to me at all. I was still going through withdrawals, so I had to go back to doing fentanyl," said Moldonado. He explains he dealt with a fentanyl addiction for two years. He eventually overdosed but survived.
NYC Health says the Bronx had the highest rate of overdose deaths in 2021. Data shows the Bronx had the highest increase in overdose deaths compared to the other boroughs. Here's the number breakdown:
- Bronx: 40% increase in fatal overdoses.
- Brooklyn: 35% increase in fatal overdoses.
- Manhattan: 25% increase in fatal overdoses.
- Staten Island: 4% increase in fatal overdoses.
- Queens: 4% increase in fatal overdoses.
"We are seeing every single type of drug that the individuals are coming in. And with fentanyl, it could be with all those drugs," said Dr. Carolann Slattery, Vice President for Outpatient Services at Samaritan Daytop Village
Slattery says fentanyl has changed the type of treatment they give. She believes her clients fall into the trap of drugs because of high poverty rates and quick financial gains.
"It's survival of the fittest ... A lot of our clients come to us-- they weren't doing drugs, they were dealing drugs, and it just evolved," said Slattery.
Borough President Vanessa Gibson acknowledges there needs to be more crackdown on those who sell, but explains she's been in conversation about bringing a supervised-drug injection site to the borough to combat the amount of people impacted by fentanyl.
"Between opioids and fentanyl, we have some of the highest rates in Bronx County," said Gibson.
Gibson said she's looking into existing sites in Upper Manhattan to see how they operate.
"I want to get people on pathways to recovery. I want to reduce the amount of drugs that are coming in and out of the Bronx each and every day," she said.
Meanwhile at recovery centers, people like Moldonado are getting a restart on life. Through forms of art therapy and group classes, it's educating people how to take their first step to getting on track.
"I'm learning how to stay away from [drugs], and when the time presents itself and drugs come around me, how to deal with walking away from them," said Moldonado.
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