Feds Issue Alert Over Dangerous Fentanyl-Xylazine Mix in NJ

HI INDIA NEWS DESK
NEW JERSEY — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a warning regarding a sharp increase in trafficking of a deadly new fentanyl cocktail mixed with the veterinary sedative xylazine, also known as “Tranq”.

The DEA says xylazine “is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier.” The presence of xylazine in samples suspected to be heroin has seen a significant increase in New Jersey, with only 2% of suspected heroin submissions to state forensic labs testing positive for heroin. Xylazine isn’t an opioid, so the overdose reversal drug naloxone does not work, putting users at a higher risk of overdose. The drug is causing serious medical problems, including necrosis and amputation.

The White House is considering xylazine as a potential “emerging threat.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that two-thirds of all drug overdose deaths in the US are fentanyl-related, with 107,689 people dying from drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending in October 2022. The DEA reports that 23% of all fentanyl powder and 7% of all fentanyl pills seized in investigations contained xylazine and were seized in 48 of 50 states.