The intake officer at San Patricio County Jail who conducted the booking process for 42-year-old Robert Charles Cope II answered “yes” to the question of whether he appeared to be intoxicated on drugs or alcohol. The time of his entry into the Sinton, Texas, jail was October 9, 2022, at 5:42 AM. He was placed in a detox cell. The summary in the report about his death next says that he was found in an incoherent state at 1:14 AM on October 10, 2022. A vape pen was found near him. Mr. Cope was taken by ambulance to Dr. Regional ICU in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he was pronounced deceased about an hour later.

More About Fentanyl

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is under the auspices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and it provides information about fentanyl. It looks like crystals or crystalline powder. Fentanyl is in the class of drugs known as fentanyls, which are rapid-acting synthetic opiate drugs that relieve pain without causing loss of consciousness.

Fentanyl depresses respiratory function and the function of the central nervous system (CNS). Fentanyl is 80 times more potent than morphine and hundreds of times more potent than heroin. Exposure to fentanyl can be fatal.

There are various routes of exposure to fentanyl. The body can absorb fentanyl via ingestion, oral exposure, skin contact, or inhalation. Fentanyl can be administered as a skin patch, intravenously (IV), or intramuscularly (IM). It is currently unknown whether fentanyl can be systemically absorbed through the eye.

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this ongoing series.

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–Guest Contributor