Man arrested after mass fentanyl overdose sends 7 spring breakers, West Point cadets to hospital

WILTON MANOR, Fla. -- Authorities in South Florida have made an arrest in a mass overdose that sent seven spring breakers, including four West Point cadets, to the hospital.

Officials said the incident is a stark reminder of the deadly threat of fentanyl.

Authorities have arrested 21-year-old Axel Giovany Casseus, alleging he supplied drugs to the students that led the terrifying scene of a mass overdose near Fort Lauderdale.

Police believe it was cocaine laced with fentanyl.

First responders rushed to save seven spring breakers, one by one, treating them right on the front lawn of their vacation rental.

Several were in cardiac arrest, according to officials.

"We were able to get some of those individuals back, so their heart was beating again with the narcan," said Steve Gollan, battalion chief of Fort Lauderdale Fire Department.

Officials said at least four West Point cadets are among the victims.

The drug is known to be so powerful that police said two people were exposed to it while performing life-saving CPR and also had to be hospitalized.

Now, officials are warning incidents like this are happening more often.

"It's not that there are more people doing drugs today, but it's much more dangerous to do drugs. And that's because of fentanyl," said Peter Canning, EMS coordinator with UConn Health.