During the Dec. 8 meeting the parish legal counsel reported on a press conference at the DEA office in New Orleans about a joint task force involving the DEA and several Northshore law-enforcement agencies addressing fentanyl distribution.

The counsel said two families who lost loved ones to fentanyl spoke at the press conference and reported that several distribution cases are being prosecuted under Louisiana’s second-degree murder statute for fentanyl distribution. Counsel stated that, since the task force began, fentanyl overdose deaths in Tangipahoa Parish have been reduced by over 45 percent and described the effort as a strong start while urging continued education of young people about fentanyl risks.

Those remarks were delivered as a legal-matters update; no formal council action was recorded on the item. The council thanked the office for the update.