Earlier this week, the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office received information concerning over 30 persons being treated in emergency rooms at local hospitals for overdoses from an unknown substance over the past week.

The Dauphin County Drug Task Force opened an investigation in an attempt to identify the substance causing the overdoses.  During the investigation, officers learned one of the substances was a synthetic marijuana labeled “Mr. Big Shot, Barbados Blitz”, packaged as Potpourri.  Persons cooperating with the investigation stated that after smoking Mr. Big Shot their heart rate increased to a point they believed it was going to come out of their chest;  they became delirious; vomited; felt invincible; and contemplated suicide. They believed that if not for first responders and hospitals’ emergency medical departments they would have died.

On 4/23/15, the Dauphin County Drug Task Force identified one of the sources of supply in Harrisburg, and with the assistance of the Harrisburg Bureau of Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration executed a search warrant on a private residence.

Located within the residence were 19 bags of synthetic marijuana in diverse packaging to include “Mr. Big Shot” and over $600.00 in cash.  Latasha Purrington, of the 1200 block of Rolleston Street Harrisburg, was charged with Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance and arraigned at Dauphin County Night Court.  Purrington is free on $15,000.00 bail.

At this point, investigators do not believe that Purrington was the only source of  the synthetic marijuana supply in the Harrisburg area, nor do they believe that Mr. Big Shot is the only synthetic marijuana causing the overdoses.  Several samples are at the Pennsylvania State Police Laboratory for analysis in hopes  of identifying  the compound responsible for the overdoses.  Similar rashes of overdoses have occurred this week in the Lehigh Valley. Synthetic marijuana is often called K2 or Spice.

DA Marsico noted, “This is a public health emergency as well as a law enforcement issue. Use this junk only if you want to end up in the ER or a coffin.”

This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact Dauphin County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-262-3080 or www.dauphinda.org  or their local police departments.