HOLDEN, W.Va.—One by one, Sammy Stafford lost three half-brothers to drug overdoses over the past eight years.
His is one of many families devastated by addiction in West Virginia, the epicenter of a nationwide fentanyl crisis.
West Virginia Coal Miner Describes Losing 3 Brothers to Drug Overdoses
At 54, Sammy Stafford has seen his mother and three siblings fall victim to the state’s opioid epidemic.
Coal miner Sammy Stafford near Holden, W. Va., on Aug. 15, 2025. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times
Darlene McCormick Sanchez
Senior Reporter
Darlene McCormick Sanchez is an Epoch Times reporter who covers border security and immigration, election integrity, and Texas politics.
Ms. McCormick Sanchez has 20 years of experience in media and has worked for outlets including Waco Tribune Herald, Tampa Tribune, and Waterbury Republican-American. She was a finalist for a Pulitzer prize for investigative reporting.
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