Two arrested after seven Virginia students eat fentanyl-contaminated gummy bears

Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Authorities in Virginia have arrested two adults after seven elementary students were exposed to fentanyl by gummy bears that one of the fourth graders had brought to school in a sandwich bag that contained residue of the potent narcotic.

Officials said five of the seven fourth-grade students at Amherst, Va.'s Central Elementary School required medical attention Tuesday after experiencing a reaction to gummy bears they had eaten.

On Wednesday, the Amherst Sheriff's Office said in a statement that Clifford Dugan and Nicole Sanders were arrested in connection to the incident.

Both have been charged with contributing to the delinquency or abuse of a child while Dugan has been charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and Sanders has been charged with possession of a schedule one or two narcotic.

Officials told reporters Wednesday during a press conference that they could not announce the relationship between the two suspects and the student who brought the bag of gummies to school, only that the pair were arrested due to a search warrant issued during their investigation.

Amherst County Superintendent William Wells said a student had brought the candy to school and shared it with six classmates during lunch.

Among the seven students, five demonstrated symptoms of nausea, vomiting, headaches and muscles spasms, Wells said, adding the first student to start exhibit such symptoms at about 1:20 p.m.

He said that the gummy bears tested negative for foreign substances, but that a residue in the bag was confirmed to be fentanyl, indicating that it had contained the synthetic opioid at one point.

Of the five students who required medical attention, two were transported by ambulance to hospital and three were driven by their parents.

All five were released Tuesday night, Wells said.

"The parents indicated the students were healthy," he said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used to treat severe pain and is between 50 and 100 times more potent than morphine.