Fentanyl.Photo: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty
Police found 100 bags of fentanyl — a synthetic opioid that’s up to 100 times stronger than morphine — in a Connecticut teen’s bedroom afterhe diedon Jan. 15 from a drug overdose as authorities warn about the opioid’s effects.
The Drug Enforcement Agency determined that the bags had an extremely high purity level at 58 to 60%. According to Hartford police sergeant Chris Mastroianni, a bag offentanylnormally tests around 2% pure per bag.
“The powder substance that was inside that bag, 58% of that was fentanyl as opposed to on average 2%,” he toldNBC Connecticut. “So that becomes you know, a very, very dangerous product, very deadly product, especially for a child weighing, you know, most kids at that age under 100 pounds. Very dangerous.”
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says a fatal dose of fentanyl is small enough tofit on the tip of a pencil. It is now the leading cause of overdose deaths, along with other synthetic opioids, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Police believe the teen was one to bring the opioids to the school. An “individual who has history at the residence” and narcotics history is a person of interest in the case, according toABC News.
The teen’s mother has fully cooperative with the investigation and police believe she had no prior knowledge of her child’s possession of fentanyl,USA Todayreports.
Mastroianni has begun giving presentations to parents and teachers about the drug in light of the tragedy.
He told the NBC affiliate that fentanyl — a Schedule II prescription drug used to treat patients suffering from severe pain after surgery — is often packaged in very small bags, similar to the size of a gum wrapper, making it difficult for people to find. It costs $2 to $3 per bag, but most are sold in bundles of 10.
“It’s very small, it’s very easily concealed. And then it could be right in front of you and you won’t even know it,” said Mastroianni, who has been showing pictures of the products during the presentations.
source: people.com
