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| - FACT CHECK: Viral Post Falsely Claims Pipeline Workers Were Given Water Bottles Laced With Fentanyl
A post shared on Facebook claims two NPL Pipeline Company workers in Chicago were purportedly given water bottles laced with fentanyl by an “unknown individual in a passing car,” resulting in the death of one of the workers.
Verdict: False
A keyword search does not generate any results for NPL Pipeline Company, but rather, NPL Construction Company, which has multiple locations in Chicago. NPL Construction Company released a statement labeling the claim as “entirely false.”
Fact Check:
Chicago spent $126.5 million on overtime for members of its police department during the first six months of 2023, according to WTTW News. The city continues to experience a high crime incidence, with at least 33 people having been shot during the weekend of July 22, local news outlet ABC 7 Chicago reported.
The Facebook post, shared over 2,000 times, claims two NPL Pipeline Company workers were purportedly given water bottles laced with fentanyl by an “unknown individual in a passing car,” resulting in the death of one of the workers. The post further claims the other worker is in critical condition and also reminds workers not to accept food or beverages from anyone outside of their project team following the alleged incident.
The claim is false, however. A keyword search does not generate any results for NPL Pipeline Company, but rather, NPL Construction Company, which has multiple locations in Chicago. NPL Construction Company released a statement labeling the claim as “entirely false.”
“We are aware of a false report stating NPL employees were harmed after drinking drug-laced water offered to them by a member of the public. This information is entirely false,” the company said in a Jul. 21 statement posted to their Facebook page.
“No NPL employees have been involved in any incident of this nature anywhere throughout the country. We are unsure where this story originated but can confirm no NPL employees have been harmed in this way,” the company added.
Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports referencing the purported incident. In addition, neither the Chicago Division of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) nor the Chicago Police Department has publicly commented on the claim. (RELATED: Is Violent Crime Up 33 Percent In D.C.?)
Luis Agostini, a public information officer for the Chicago Division of the DEA, labeled the claim as “misinformation” in a since-deleted Twitter post available via Ghost Archive.
Check Your Fact has contacted NPL Construction Company, Agostini, and the Chicago Police Department for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
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