1PillCanKillPlacer is working diligently to spread awareness about Placer County's fentanyl epidemic

Virgil Bordner's sentencing to 17 years the morning of Sept. 1 was simply a stepping stone in justice when tackling the fentanyl epidemic Placer County is facing. Zachary Didier, 17, died of fentanyl poisoning on Dec. 27, 2020 after taking a pill he bought from Bordner that he thought was Percocet, according to past Gold Country Media news articles. During the Sept. 1 sentencing, Bordner referred to Zach as a friend despite only having two brief interactions in person, one at a mall and one in a residential neighborhood, according to Zach's father, Chris Didier. Laura Didier, Zachary Didlier's mother, said, "They were not personal friends. I double-checked with the detectives and Zach's friends… Zach and the defendant only met twice briefly within days of Zach's death… one of Zach's friends thought that maybe he meant that Zach was a good friend to people… but I'm not exactly sure what he (Bordner) meant by that." Chris Didier said, "My impression was that he liked Zach because he thought of Zach as a cool kid, just like everyone who ever met Zach has told me." According to Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire, the timeline of Zach Didier's and Bordner's relationship is as follows: On Dec. 24, 2020, Zach "had purchased pills from Mr. Bordner" and had "contacted him through Snapchat." Zach had a meeting with Bordner on Dec. 26, 2020, in the "evening hours." Between then and "into the morning hours of Dec. 27," was when Zach's father found him unresponsive. There is some poetic justice in Bordner's sentencing. He was sentenced to 17 years. Zach was 17 years old when he tragically died When asked about Bordner's sentence, Laura Didier said, "When we're talking about the death of someone, nothing is going to make that OK. But, in cases like these, it's very rare to get any kind of accountability or justice… nothing is going to bring my son back, but I am glad there's been accountability and [Bordner] is not continuing to be out there selling in our community." Zach's father also talked about the sentencing. "Obviously, the number of years has meaning to Zach's story, since that's how many years he had gifted us with his life," Chris Didier said, "But I don't put a lot of thought beyond that only because to say that's enough or that justice has been served, I've struggled with that. Is this enough? Do I feel whole now? And, it's not… We will never see him grow up and achieve his goals… I can't ever say justice was served unless Virgil was forced to make a time machine and bring him back." The Didiers have turned their tragedy into advocacy by sharing what happened to their son with community organizations and schools. "Hopefully, it's starting a lot of conversations in families, in schools, in community organizations," Laura Didier said, "It really requires a whole community approach from the law enforcement side of it… to educating the community what the problem is and what dangers are out there." At the press conference after Bordner's sentencing Sept. 1, District Attorney Gire said, "This office remains committed to holding dealers of this deadly drug accountable. Through aggressive prosecution, county-wide investigations, support from our local officials, partnership with our schools and our 1 Pill Can Kill Placer campaign, the participation and collaboration at every level to fight this epidemic will save lives. We will continue to seek justice for Zach and the Didier family and all families affected by this fentanyl crisis at every level." At least 74 Placer County residents have lost their lives to fentanyl-poisoning in just the past few years, according to county officials. In California last year, 10,000-plus deaths were from overdoses, up 15 percent from 2020. The Placer County Coroner's Office recently said that there have been 39 overdose deaths this year, 20 of which were fentanyl-related. This was the first time, according to the Coroner's Office, that fentanyl-related cases have been identified as the majority of overdose deaths. The statistics prove that there is an epidemic that needs to be stopped, however many might "compartmentalize" this epidemic as just being the "war on drugs" or "say no to drugs" campaigns, said Chris Didier at the Sept. 1 press conference. "I think what has kind of captivated people in Zach's story," Laura Didier said, "Is that he is so indicative of this new category of victim; young, non-addicted, not the type of young person that you would think is at risk to be killed by a drug. I think hopefully it's really opening people's eyes to what this crisis is really all about; it's a poisoning crisis." Chris Didier said he participated in a roundtable discussion, where a senior chief of operations at U.S. Border and Customs Protections (CBP) said they had seized 11,201 pounds of fentanyl in 2021. He asked "How much do you estimate you're seizing?" "We are seizing maybe 5 percent," the senior chief said. "Theoretically, that leaves about 213,000 pounds still on the streets from one year of illicit fentanyl trafficking, potentially enough lethal doses for everyone on the planet," the father said. Chris Didier emphasized at the Sept. 1 press conference about the importance of teens and parents alike becoming educated about this epidemic. One way teens and adults can be educated is by listening to the 1PillCanKillPlacer podcast, which can be heard at https://1pillcankillplacer.com/podcast. 1PillCanKillPlacer also has a "Get Help" page for teens and adults at https://1pillcankillplacer.com/get-help. For many students, the COVID-19 pandemic put additional stressors on teens, which might have led some to believe that pills would relieve this stress. However, Chris Didier said during the press conference, parents should have "open conversations" with their teens to alert them of the dangers of buying these pills and to guide them toward mental health resources. After a 30-minute KCRA broadcast that aired six to eight weeks after Zach's death, Chris Didier said three families had reached out after showing their teens the broadcast. One family's son admitted to having bought some pills. Their son was "just like Zach, straight-A student, showed good responsibility, good judgment…" Two of the families tested the pills that their teens had, while the other family threw out the ones they found. They were fentanyl pills. Zach's story saved their teens' lives. District Attorney Morgan Gire said he also noticed that Zach's story has inspired others to come forward and help spread awareness, calling the Didiers a "catalyst" for this campaign. Gire said that Placer County has an "ongoing relationship with the Didier family" and that "we have partnered with them in our 1PillCanKillPlacer campaign." About three weeks ago, Gire said, "we concluded school assemblies in every high school in the Roseville Unified High School District" with the Didiers, which took about six weeks. Every student attended these assemblies about the dangers of fentanyl pills. They started the "next round of parent information nights in Lincoln" in September. The Didiers were present at the parent information nights and student assemblies. Chris Didier also said lawmakers must make a change: "I feel as a concerned parent and as a concerned citizen, if I see something that's not right, I have to call it out and I'm calling out Congress… I want to effect meaningful and measurable change with legislation to implement appropriate safeguards so that people are not victimized by taking or consuming something that could kill them, like fentanyl poisoning." Some of those safeguards, he said, could be "enhancing U.S. customs and border protection programs" and "to add more manpower in investigations." Laura Didier said she's prepared to participate in this "advocacy mission for as long as it's needed. I would love to see a day where it's not needed anymore. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening anytime soon. I'm in it for the long haul." Chris Didier is also bringing awareness for his son. "I'd call it Zach's work," Chris said, "There's no doubt that if he had heard this story, he would be very active to tell everyone to watch out."