Narcos on the front line: New deadly drug turning users into zombies

A drug that is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin and morphine – and turning users into zombies – could be heading to Australia’s streets, authorities warn.

It’s the drug turning users into zombies – literally.

As Latin American authorities warn the drug fentanyl – which is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin and morphine – could be heading to Australia’s streets, officials in the US are not only grappling with its deadly consequences, but an alarming new trend.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) revealed users in 48 of its 50 mainland states are now mixing fentanyl with the powerful sedative xylazine – also known as “tranq”.

“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” DEA administrator Anne Milgrem said.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency revealed users in 48 of its 50 mainland states are now mixing fentanyl (pictured) with the powerful sedative xylazine – also known as “tranq”. Picture: AFP via NCA NewsWire

She said DEA labs reported approximately 23 per cent of fentanyl powder and 7 per cent of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA in 2022 contained xylazine.

US authorities have been trying to stem the flow of fentanyl flooding its streets since it emerged in 2014. While China remains the primary source of the world’s fentanyl production, the Narcos on the front line docuseries has revealed that Mexican drug cartels are also getting in on the act.

Watch episode 6 of the Narcos on the front line docuseries above.

Commissioner General Felipe de Jesús Gallo Gutiérrez, head of criminal investigations at Mexico’s Fiscalia General police force, said while fentanyl traditionally came from China, Mexican cartels were eager to cash in on profits.

“[It] can be produced in four hours just by mixing three or four substances,” Mr Gallo said, adding it was “three or four times more profitable than other drugs and everyone is buying that”.

“I would say to Australia, just be cautious about this substance because at some point fentanyl might reach the Australian market – it is just a matter of time,” he said.

“Because this is just a matter of someone bringing just one pill and then they will start to create a market for that drug”.

Here’s what you need to know:

WHAT IS FENTANYL

Australian authorities have seized the largest ever discovery of the deadly opioid fentanyl hidden in an industrial wooden lathe.

First developed in 1959 as an intravenous anaesthetic, there are two types of the synthetic opioid: Pharmaceutical fentanyl and illicitly manufactured fentanyl.

Pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl can be prescribed to treat severe pain after surgery and during advanced-stage cancer.

While opioids are a class of drug naturally found in the opium poppy plant, fentanyl is made in a lab by scientists using the same chemical structure.

WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

Illicit fentanyl is produced using precursor chemicals like benzylfentanyl, 4-anilinopiperidine and norfentanyl, which are most commonly produced in China.

About 99 per cent of fentanyl comes from precursor drugs in China and is manufactured by the Jalisco and Sinaloa Cartels in Mexico, according to the END FENTANYL Act introduced to the US House of Representatives in December.

The majority of fentanyl is mass-produced into counterfeit pills made to look like Xanax, Adderall, or oxycodone.

A vial of Fentanyl Citrate which is a pharmaceutical grade opioid used to treat post-surgical or chronic pain. The drug has caused hundreds of deaths overseas and could be headed to Australia. Source: Supplied

WHERE IS FENTANYL FOUND?

In prescription form, fentanyl is known by brand names like Actiq, which is an oral lozenge referred to as fentanyl “lollipops”, Duragesic, a transdermal patch, Fentora, an effervescent tablet, and Lazanda, a nasal spray.

Common street names for illicit fentanyl include Apache, China Girl, China Town, Dance Fever, Friend, Goodfellas, Great Bear, He-Man, Jackpot, King Ivory, Murder 8, and Tango & Cash.

DEA analysis found that counterfeit pills contain between 0.02 to 5.1 milligrams (more than twice the lethal dose) of fentanyl per tablet. They found that 42 per cent of pills tested contained at least 2mg of fentanyl, considered a potentially lethal dose.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Fentanyl acts on the brain in a similar way to heroin or morphine by binding to the body’s opioid receptors, which control pain and emotions.

Its effects at first include relaxation, pain relief, euphoria and extreme happiness before spiralling from drowsiness, nausea, and confusion to sedation, problems breathing and unconsciousness.

WHY IS IT SO DEADLY?

Just two milligrams, or about the size of 10 to 15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose.

Latin American authorities warn the drug fentanyl – which is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin and morphine – could be heading to Australia’s streets. Source: Supplied

Fentanyl is often added to other drugs like cocaine, meth and ecstasy to increase their potency for cheap, making them more addictive and more dangerous.

Deadly levels of fentanyl are undetectable by sight, taste or smell and even fentanyl test strips can miss fentanyl in small doses or other fentanyl-like drugs.

HOW MANY PEOPLE DIE FROM FENTANYL?

The number of fatal overdoses from fentanyl saw a dramatic rise from 2,666 in 2011 to 31,335 in 2018, according to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

Deaths from synthetic opioids continued to rise and in 2021 increased by 55.6 per cent over 2020.

More than 150 people die every day from fentanyl overdoses. Or almost 55,000 per year.

WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE IS OVERDOSING?

Signs of opioid overdose include “pinpoint pupils”, losing consciousness, weak breathing, choking or gurgling, a limp body, discoloured lips and nails, and cold or clammy skin.

If you believe someone is suffering an overdose, call an ambulance, place them on their side to prevent choking, and keep them awake and breathing until a dose of Naloxone can be administered.

Fentanyl pills are shown in an undated police handout photo.

WHAT IS NALOXONE?

Naloxone can treat a fentanyl overdose if administered immediately. It rapidly binds to opioid receptors and blocks the effects of the opioid drug.

Multiple doses of naloxone may be required due to the strength of fentanyl compared to other opioid drugs like morphine.

It is available as an injectable needle or nasal spray, sold under the brand names Narcan and Kloxxado.

IS ANYTHING WORSE THAN FENTANYL?

Drug dealers are mixing the synthetic opioid with the tranquilliser Xylazine, a sedative used on large animals like horses

The rapidly spreading “tranq” cocktail is causing apocalyptic scenes across the United States.

Its terrifying effects include moving like zombies and rotting limbs, with videos posted to TikTok showing countless “living dead” trans users sleeping where they stand, staggering, slumped over or passed out.

HOW IS TRANQ DIFFERENT FROM FENTANYL?

Tranq is a potent analgesic that creates a short and powerful immobilising high that may induce cardiac arrest.

If injected it can lead to skin and muscle wasting, ulcers, lesions, and rotting flesh, leading to its nickname the “zombie” drug.

Medical professionals have warned it frequently leads to users’ limbs being amputated because of sepsis and “necrotic” or dead tissue.

Originally published as Narcos on the front line: New deadly drug turning users into zombies