>>4509699 (cheKeKed)
>https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/local_news/more-illnesses-tied-to-police-raid-in-the-falls/article_3a106653-253b-5412-9b7d-fbe2b06425d0.html
NIAGARA FALLS - Local and federal authorities have identified another 11 individuals who fell ill after executing a search warrant at a Packard Court apartment earlier this month, bringing the total number of law enforcement officials who got sick after the raid to 21 as of Friday.
The individuals have since recovered after suffering what Niagara County Sheriff James Voutour and others have described as "flu-like" symptoms for 24 to 48 hours.
The group of federal agents and deputies took part in the execution of a search warrant on Dec. 14 at a Niagara Falls Housing Authority complex on Packard Court where Jeffery Richards, 28, was arrested. Federal prosecutors allege Richards is a drug trafficker who was building a homemade explosive device in his apartment, among other charges.
Preliminary biologic and chemical tests conducted by Niagara County Emergency Management staff, including its Hazmat team, have not identified any substances of concern, Voutour said Friday. A full report will arrive in a few weeks, but the initial results are not expected significantly change, according to Voutour.
"It’s very strange," Voutour said, adding he had not encountered anything similar in his nearly 25 years in law enforcement.
The vast majority of those who became indisposed were federal agents, Voutour said. One local individual, a sheriff's deputy, was hospitalized and released earlier this week. It appears the individuals who exhibited symptoms are those that had direct contact with the suspect or the apartment, the sheriff said.