Palm Desert Woman Accused In Fentanyl Death

Palm Desert CA

03 May, 2022

10:36 PM

Description

PALM DESERT, CA — A Palm Desert woman was arrested Tuesday in connection with the fentanyl death of a local man. Tiffany Ellen Wright, 39, was booked into Indio's John Benoit Detention Center shortly after 2:30 p.m., according to jail records. The booking charges were not available but sheriff's Sgt. Ryan Marcuse reported that she was booked on suspicion of murder. According to Marcuse, the investigation into Wright began March 20 when Palm Desert Sheriff's Station deputies were called about an unresponsive man in the 46000 block of Ryway Place in Palm Desert. Cameron Bridges, 32, of Palm Desert was pronounced dead at the scene, a victim of fentanyl poisoning, according to Marcuse. As the death investigation continued, Wright "was identified as being the suspect responsible for selling the fentanyl that killed Bridges," Marcuse reported. It's not clear how investigators determined Wright provided the narcotic. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the sheriff's department. The drug is often pressed into counterfeit pills and sold on the black market as prescription medication, such as oxycodone. It is also cut into other illegal substances by drug dealers as a way to boost profit margins. Law enforcement officials across the nation have reported that fentanyl death investigations often reveal victims were duped into believing they were consuming a drug other than the opioid.