NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Authorities have arrested a man they believe is involved in drug operations in the Middle Tennessee area.
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The Old Hickory, TN man was arrested on drug-related charges involving heroin and fentanyl.
Last year, authorities began investigating a series of overdoses that took place across the Middle District of Tennessee involving fentanyl-laced heroin. During the course of the months-long investigation, Agents and officers conducted undercover operations and pursued leads on the distribution of fentanyl-laced heroin.
Authorities developed information that identified one of the distributors of the potentially deadly drug combination as Reginald T. Womack (DOB 7/11/86).
Womack was arrested and charged with one count of Manufacturing/Delivery/Sale/Possession of Schedule I. He was booked into the Rutherford County Jail on a $175,000 bond.
At this time, the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Tennessee Department of Health data show 1,776 Tennesseans died from drug overdoses in 2017, the highest annual number of such deaths since reporting began.
Prescription opioids are still the most common drugs associated with overdose deaths in Tennessee.
According to TBI, in certain doses, fentanyl can be 50 to 100 times as potent as morphine. The drug doesn’t necessarily need to be ingested to have an effect. It can absorb through the skin, so touching the substance can quickly put an individual at risk of opioid overdose.
Anyone struggling with drug addiction issues should contact the Tennessee REDLINE at 1-800-889-9789.
Learn more about the TN Together plan to end Tennessee’s opioid crisis at www.tntogether.com.