States on the East Coast have been particularly hard hit by the latest synthetic opioid, but the drug is making an impact on states like Texas.
U.S. authorities are warning of a new synthetic opioid from China that can be up to 50 times more potent than fentanyl.
Nitazenes pose an emerging threat as they are more resistant to naloxone, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses. They are often mixed with other drugs and delivered in the form of counterfeit pills mimicking drugs such as Xanax or Percocet, according to authorities.
Frank Tarentino, who heads the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New York Division, said that the presence of nitazenes coming from China has been increasingly prevalent on the illicit drug scene.
“Here in the United States, we have found it in heroin, methamphetamine, in some cases fentanyl, and more alarmingly, we have now seen it pressed into pills,” he said in a Sept. 10 interview with NTD, The Epoch Times’ sister media outlet.
“What we have seen is that these cartels, these transnational criminal organizations that are operating on a global scale, are intentionally lacing their drugs with fentanyl and now nitazenes to increase the high, to increase the addiction, to make more money.”
Tarantino said that traffickers are selling counterfeit prescription drugs such as oxycodone on the streets, online, or on social media. He warned that the only safe place to buy prescription drugs is through a legitimate pharmacy.
Chinese companies and Mexican cartels are turning to nitazenes, a cheap synthetic opioid, particularly as pressure mounts on fentanyl production and distribution.
Some cartels have shifted to nitazenes due to a recent crackdown on fentanyl precursor chemicals coming from China, noted Sally Sparks, a public information officer with the DEA’s Houston Division.
“We are also seeing street-level drug dealers mixing it with the fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine,” she told The Epoch Times via email.
President Donald Trump made tackling the fentanyl crisis a signature issue during his administration, moving to impose tariffs on China and Mexico while declaring Mexican Cartels terrorist organizations to fight the influx of the deadly drug.
Congress passed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which Trump signed into law in July. It permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act, thus increasing penalties for possession and distribution.
