BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Three men have been arrested on drug-related charges during an investigation into fentanyl overdoses, according to Brevard County Sheriff's Office investigators Monday.
Deputies arrested Cedric Levatt, 28, and Kenneth Levatt, 52, both of Cocoa, along with Matthew John Carpenter, 24, of Cape Canaveral.
"There's a pretty big lid on things right now because of what has happened. But we have made arrests for meth and cocaine," Major Tod Goodyear of the Sheriff's Office said.
The three men are charged with sale and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Kenneth Levatt faces an additional charge of the grand theft of a firearm.
Fifteen overdoses have been reported in Brevard County recently. Eleven of those, including one fatal overdose, were reported in the Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island areas on Monday.
Raw: Heroin overdoses in Brevard County
Investigators said drug users who thought they were buying heroin were actually buying fentanyl, with traces of Benadryl.
According to investigators, fentanyl has been found to be as much as 50 times more potent than heroin.
They said the drug's effects can be transmitted through the skin.
The three men arrested during the investigation are charged with the sale and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Kenneth Levatt faces an additional charge of the grand theft of a firearm.
All three were booked into the Brevard County Jail. Cedric Levatt was being held on a $160,000 bond, Kenneth Levatt on a $170,000 bond and Carpenter was being held on a $45,000 bond.
Investigators said the overdose death of a 44-year-old man is being treated as a homicide.