A powerful pain reliever commonly used to tranquilize elephants has been found in heroin seized by local law officers.
INFO-GRAPHIC FROM http://www.rehabcenter.net/carfentanil-laced-heroin-abuse-addiction/
It is the first time carfentanil has turned up in a local seizure, Logan County Prosecutor Eric Stewart said.
“We were expecting it would test positive for heroin but they (lab technicians) found fentanil, carfentanil and cocaine in the samples,” Mr. Stewart said.
“Drug users have no idea what they’re getting and the suppliers have no idea what they’re doing mixing the drugs. This why people are overdosing.”
The drugs were seized as part of three controlled buys conducted by the Logan County Joint Drug Task Force in October.
Nathaniel Clem, 37, at large, has been charged as a result of the investigation. He was released from jail Tuesday.
Three capsules were submitted to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for testing and the results came back this week.
Carfentanil is a drug often cut with heroin that is 10,000 times more powerful than morphine, Mr. Stewart said.
Elephants, the intended target for Carfentanil, can weigh between 5,000 to 14,000 pounds which is 26 to 72 times the average adult male weight of 195.5 pounds.
It is so powerful it can harm people who aren’t even using it. First responders or someone who finds an overdose victim can be poisoned from skin-to-skin contact.
“If you do find something in your home that you suspect might contain heroin mixtures, let law enforcement deal with it,” Mr. Stewart cautions. “Don’t play with it. Don’t touch it. Fentanyl can be incredibly toxic to people who don’t have an opioid tolerance.”