Health officials say the leading causing of death among young people is fentanyl. They say 290 people a day are dying from fentanyl in the US, but statistics don’t hurt like personal loss.
Cammie Velci of Atascadero lost her teenage son to fentanyl. 19-year-old Emilio Velci was working at a restaurant in Paso Robles. One night he suffered from pain caused by incoming wisdom teeth. A co-worker sold him a counterfeit Percocet. Emilio took the pill and died that night.
The story has become a remarkable one in part because of the aggressive prosecution by district attorney Dan Dow. The case has now become a federal case. The man who sold Emilio Velci the fatal counterfeit Percocet faces federal charges now.
This week, we’ll hear more from Cammie Velci about her battle against fentanyl, and what she’s learned about the drug’s impact on youth in the north county and across the country.
This Saturday, May 6th, Cammie Velci is hosting the 3rd annual fundraiser, an evening of Aloha. It will be held Saturday evening at the Atascadero lake pavilion.
For more information go to: theemiliovelciproject.com.
