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BPD: Fentanyl, heroin found at Ward Street home

Free Press Staff
Burlington police investigate the scene at 54 Ward St. where two dead bodies were found June 18.

Residue at the Burlington home where two men died of apparent drug overdoses a few weeks ago has indicated the presence of heroin and fentanyl, city police said Monday.

Brothers Dennis Thibault, 34, of Burlington and Sean Thibault, 32, of Westford were found dead in a home on Ward Street the morning of June 18, police said. Police are awaiting toxicology results, which are expected to return within the next few weeks, police said.

Law enforcement believe that an increasing number of heroin packages contain fentanyl, making drugs even more dangerous, police said.

According to the Vermont Department of Health, fentanyl is an opioid drug that is up to 50 times more powerful than heroin, and much deadlier, the Vermont State Police have said. A very small amount of pure fentanyl, or just a few grains, can stop a person's breathing and lead to death, state police said. In April, when state police released the warning, a batch of fentanyl-laced heroin called "Ronald Reagan" was being sold in New England.

Burlington police said the city has seen an increase this year in heroin overdoses, with 30 reported to police as of June 12. In 2014, there were 37 reported for the entire year.

Burlington police Chief Michael Schirling has said investigators believe fentanyl is coming from outside of Vermont for the most part, primarily from New York.

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