(La Porte County, IN) - The number of people dying from drug use in La Porte County keeps going up.

La Porte County Coroner Lynn Swanson said there had been 42 drug overdose deaths so far this year. In comparison, she said there were 42 all of last year.

Swanson said fentanyl has been mixed with other drugs like heroin and ingested in most overdose death cases. Seven of the drug-related deaths this year happened during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

The number of people dying from drug use throughout the county is about double what it used to be several years ago.