fentanyl

Health & Safety

The DEA Is Warning Of A Rise In Overdose Deaths From Fake Drugs Laced With Fentanyl

5:39pm September 27, 2021

In its first public safety alert in six years, the Drug Enforcement Administration says many counterfeit prescription drugs sold online contain a potentially lethal dose of the opioid.

Evidence seized from a drug trafficking operation in central California in early 2020 included methamphetamine and fentanyl with a street value of $1.5 million, authorities said.

Methamphetamine Deaths Soar, Hitting Black And Native Americans Especially Hard

5:08pm September 22, 2021

by Brian Mann

Newly published U.S. data finds overdose deaths from methamphetamine use more than doubled in recent years. Use of the stimulant among Black Americans surged nearly tenfold.

In May 2019, China's government banned the production and sale of fentanyl and its many variants. But more than a year later, Chinese vendors continue to market the precursors used to make fentanyl online and ship them directly to customers in the United

'We Are Shipping To The U.S.': Inside China's Online Synthetic Drug Networks

5:03pm November 17, 2020

by Emily Feng

China banned fentanyl last year, but an NPR investigation reveals how Chinese vendors continue to market the chemicals used to make the drug on e-commerce and social media sites.

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Researchers point to a devastating new development: Fentanyl is making swift inroads in the western U.S., where it used to be rare.

National

Street Fentanyl Surges In Western U.S., Leading To Thousands Of Deaths

5:00am November 17, 2020

by Brian Mann

New research shows the use of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl spreading fast in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Seattle. Chinese companies are routing the street drug through cartels in Mexico.

The federal government estimates one in 10 healthcare workers experience substance use disorder. There is rising concern that medical professionals are stealing powerful opioid pain medications meant for their patients.

National

Some Health Workers Suffering From Addiction Steal Drugs Meant For Patients

1:31pm October 05, 2020

by Brian Mann

The Drug Enforcement Agency relies on hospitals to identify nurses and doctors who misuse drugs such as morphine and fentanyl. But "only a fraction of those who are diverting drugs are ever caught."

Jennifer Austin, a recovery coach who has struggled with addiction, usually hosts Narcotics Anonymous classes at this Salvation Army center in Ogdensburg, N.Y. They've been canceled because of the pandemic, leaving more people vulnerable to relapse and ov

National

U.S. Sees Deadly Drug Overdose Spike During Pandemic

4:16pm August 13, 2020

by Brian Mann

"During the pandemic, basically everything is pointed in the wrong direction," says one federal health official, who calls the convergence of COVID-19 and America's addiction crisis "a nightmare."

The MX908 can check for the presence of fentanyl mixed with other drugs and such testing may help prevent overdoses. Sarah Mackin of the Boston Public Health Commission prepares the machine for testing some samples.

Health & Safety

Built For Counterterrorism, This High-Tech Machine Is Now Helping Fight Fentanyl

11:04am November 27, 2019

by Martha Bebinger

Public health officials are adopting a law-enforcement tool, the mass spectrometer, to instantly identify potentially deadly levels of opioids in local drug supplies.

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Police stand guard outside the Xingtai Intermediate People's Court in Xingtai, in China's Hebei province. The court issued stiff prison sentences to nine people caught in an illegal fentanyl ring.

China Jails 9 In Fentanyl Trafficking Case That Began With A Tip From The U.S.

12:39pm November 07, 2019

by Bill Chappell

The traffickers were caught with 11.9 kilograms of fentanyl — enough to kill nearly 6 million people, by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's standard.

Crime

Guilford Judge Died From Heroin, Fentanyl Intoxication

8:11am October 18, 2019

by Paul Garber

Autopsy results indicate that a prominent Guilford County judge died from an opioid overdose.

Bags of heroin, some laced with fentanyl, picked up in a 2016 New York City drug bust. "Basically, [fentanyl] is so cheap to produce and it's so powerful, that drug dealers began realizing it was a way to increase their profits," Fentanyl, Inc. author Ben

Fentanyl As A Dark Web Profit Center, From Chinese Labs To U.S. Streets

2:51pm September 04, 2019

by Dave Davies

Fentanyl, Inc. author Ben Westhoff says the opioid, while useful in hospitals, is killing more Americans as a street drug than any other in U.S. history. Here's how it moves from China to your corner.

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