One of President Donald Trump’s biggest missions in his second term has been tackling the fentanyl epidemic that has America in its throes.
“We renew our vow to liberate America from this horrible plague, and we’ll be getting the drug dealers, pushers, and peddlers off our streets, AND WE WILL NOT REST UNTIL WE HAVE ENDED THE DRUG OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC,” Trump said of the issue.
A horrific incident at Providence College in Rhode Island has only crystallized the importance of the president’s mission.
According to CBS News, seven Providence College students were hospitalized after police said they suffered overdoses at a party on Friday night. Four students were found passed out in the front yard.
The outlet added, “Police said officers later seized weapons and fentanyl as they arrested three people who allegedly supplied drugs to the students.”
Seven total students had overdosed, but they had been given Narcan (a drug that works to reverse opioid overdoses) and were taken to a hospital. The students were reported to be conscious and alert, per Fox News.
Three people — none of whom appear to be students — were arrested in connection with the incident.
3 people arrested after 7 Providence College students overdose at off-campus party https://t.co/oBkCeKYWuQ pic.twitter.com/AVrMK4zltt
— New York Post (@nypost) December 10, 2025
When police searched a nearby home, they seized about 20 grams of fentanyl, $1,700 in cash, two rifles, and three handguns, including a “ghost gun.”
Angel Williams, 33, Patrick Patterson, 32, and Kimsheree Simoneau, 33, were all arrested.
Williams and Patterson face drug and gun charges.
Simoneau, meanwhile, has been charged with possession of a ghost gun.
Williams and Patterson were held without bail, while Simoneau posted a $10,000 bond.
“This investigation reflects the department’s continued commitment to combating the deadly flow of fentanyl and illegal firearms into our community,” Providence Police Col. Oscar Perez said, per CBS News.
Perez added, “The coordinated efforts of our Narcotics and Organized Crime Bureau ensured that dangerous weapons and narcotics were removed from the streets of Providence.”
For local students, this was a surreal incident.
“You hear about it in the news happening to other people and you don’t think it can happen to you until it does,” one student named Grace Condon said. “I think it’s scary, I think that the fact that it happened so close to you when you think you’re safe from that and everyone needs to be aware of this because it can happen to anyone.”
Condon continued, “It’s just crazy to think that this would happen to my classmates or like even if they aren’t in my grade like someone who goes to my school.”
Another student added, “Everyone I’ve personally spoken to is very concerned about those who were hurt.”
Providence University is conducting its own investigation of the incident.
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