Possibly Fentanyl-Laced Mail Sent to Election Offices

A rash of reports across the country, including, notably, Georgia's Fulton County
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 10, 2023 12:00 AM CST
Election Offices Hit With Possibly Fentanyl-Laced Mail
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger attends the National Association of Secretaries of State winter meeting, Feb. 16, 2023, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

A possibly fentanyl-laced letter was sent to an election official in Georgia's Fulton County, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says. He says state and federal officials are working to determine whether any other officials in the state have been targeted, Fox 5 Atlanta reports; WSB-TV reports they're also working to intercept the envelope and test the substance inside to confirm what it is. Election offices and officials have recently been targeted across the nation, but as Axios notes, this case is particularly significant since it's the Fulton County district attorney, Fani Willis, who is pursuing an election interference case against former President Trump and others in his orbit.

"Election officials should be free from fear and intimidation, which is why I've called on the General Assembly to increase penalties for election interference. We will work tirelessly to ensure that Georgia elections remain free, fair, and secure," Raffensperger says. Testing has yet to confirm the substance in the envelope is fentanyl, but four other similar envelopes arrived at election offices across Washington state Wednesday, at least two of which have tested positive for fentanyl, and a suspicious envelope was received at an election office in Oregon that same day. Sources tell WSB one person is believed to be behind letters mailed to election offices in all three of the aforementioned states as well as California. Nevada and Texas have also recently received suspicious envelopes. (More Georgia stories.)

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