19-year-old arrested in connection to overdose death of 14-year-old

A 19-year-old St. John's man has been charged with manslaughter in connection to an overdose of youth from four months ago.

The RNC said they arrested an unnamed man on Thursday, who was also charged with criminal negligence causing death, and the possession and trafficking of a controlled substance. 

It follows a 14-year-old boy who was found unresponsive in a Mount Pearl home in March. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his death was the result of an overdose.

"The RNC has since determined the youth ingested what he believed to be Xanax and Dilaudid but actually contained a deadly concoction of synthetic opioids," said the RNC's statement on Friday.

Officers carried out a search warrant in May at the accused's home and seized a number of drugs including phenazolam, an often deadly benzodiazepine.

The accused was released and is set to appear in provincial court at a later date.

Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical examiner Dr. Nash Denic said in April that more young people have been dying in "gut-wrenching" overdose incidents this year, including a 14-year-old.

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