New drug more deadly than fentanyl surfaces in New York

NEW YORK (PIX11) — Drug overdoses in New York are on the rise. More than 3,000 deaths were reported last year alone, with 89% of them linked to the synthetic drug fentanyl.

Now there is renewed concern over a new ultra-deadly synthetic drug that’s hitting the streets.

The drug is powerful enough to sedate an elephant and just a grain of it is strong enough to kill a person ingesting it. It’s known as carfentanil. It has been linked to at least seven overdose deaths in the city this year.

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan is fearful that the number could surge.

She told PIX11 News, “The street drug market has never been deadlier than it is today. You may buy something that will kill you.”

Carfentanil is a powdery substance that comes out of China and is filtered into the illicit drug supply through Mexico. Brennan said undercover agents are stepping up efforts to identify the source and who is selling it. “If it gets out of control as fentanyl has, overdoses could go up even higher than they are now and we’re at record numbers now. A tiny amount of it, a grain can kill someone,” she said.

The presence of carfentanil has been seen in all five boroughs, but most seizures of the drug have been made in Brooklyn, including one in Bushwick.

According to Brennan, “In the seizure some bags contained carfentanil, and the carfentanil was mixed with cocaine, with fentanyl, heroin, with any of the drugs that appear as white powder.” She pointed out, “It’s not the people who use the drugs who are choosing it. They don’t know they’re getting carfentanil mixed into their drugs that will kill them. It’s coming from the sellers.”

Alarmed by the uptick in overdose cases, both the city and state health departments have issued public health alerts warning against the use of this deadly new drug being slipped into already dangerous drugs.

If the facts are frightening enough, the special prosecutor, added another sobering one, “Fentanyl kills quickly but 100 times more powerful carfentanil kills much more quickly,” she declared.

The drug is so powerful, it poses a threat to first responders and law enforcement who touch it by accident. Users exposed to carfentanil can experience dizziness, clammy skin, heart failure, and more. This is a dangerous drug that could cost you your life.

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