An investigation by The Advocate has found that a low-budget hotel chain is the core of a deadly surge in drug overdoses in East Baton Rouge Parish.
In 2021, 311 people died of a drug overdose in the parish, according to the coroner's office. That's an almost 30% increase from 2020, the previous all-time high, The Advocate reports.
Investigative work by The Advocate staff has found that the core of that deadly surge is a four-mile strip of eight budget hotels along I-12. There have been 135 Emergency Medical Services calls for overdoses at those hotels since the start of 2021, EMS and law enforcement data show.
And that's just the overdoses; at some hotels, 911 has been called hundreds of times a year for various criminal complaints, the paper reports.
Data tracked by the East Baton Rouge District Attorney show 10 of the 11 deadliest places in the parish for overdoses over the last two years are budget motels; the 11th is a hospital, the report found.
To read the entire investigative piece, click here.
