Fentanyl: Situation Report
Clandestinely produced Fentanyl has been linked to hundreds of fatal and nonfatal overdoses across the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic Regions of the United States since late 2005. Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate approximately 50 times more potent than heroin.
Clandestinely produced Fentanyl powders, fentanyl mixed with heroin, and, to a lesser extent, fentanyl mixed with cocaine have been distributed in the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic Regions. The primary markets have been Chicago (IL), Detroit (MI), and Philadelphia (PA)/Camden (NJ). Overdoses linked to Fentanyl have been reported in areas of Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin
Fentanyl has been sold to drug abusers, primarily heroin abusers, in drug markets in each of the aforementioned areas, and abusers typically reflect the population demographics of those areas. Currently, there are an estimated 800,000 to 1,000,000 hard-core and casual heroin abusers in the United States who constitute the potential Fentanyl market. An intravenous dose of Fentanyl hydrochloride for pain relief is approximately 45 micrograms (a grain of salt is approximately 60 micrograms); however, depending on the weight of the abuser and his or her level of opiate tolerance, an abuser may tolerate a higher or lower dose. Accordingly, a small error in diluting, or cutting, Fentanyl can easily lead to an overdose.
U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
Date: June 5, 2006
Clandestinely produced Fentanyl powders, fentanyl mixed with heroin, and, to a lesser extent, fentanyl mixed with cocaine have been distributed in the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic Regions. The primary markets have been Chicago (IL), Detroit (MI), and Philadelphia (PA)/Camden (NJ). Overdoses linked to Fentanyl have been reported in areas of Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin
Fentanyl has been sold to drug abusers, primarily heroin abusers, in drug markets in each of the aforementioned areas, and abusers typically reflect the population demographics of those areas. Currently, there are an estimated 800,000 to 1,000,000 hard-core and casual heroin abusers in the United States who constitute the potential Fentanyl market. An intravenous dose of Fentanyl hydrochloride for pain relief is approximately 45 micrograms (a grain of salt is approximately 60 micrograms); however, depending on the weight of the abuser and his or her level of opiate tolerance, an abuser may tolerate a higher or lower dose. Accordingly, a small error in diluting, or cutting, Fentanyl can easily lead to an overdose.
U.S. Department of Justice
National Drug Intelligence Center
Date: June 5, 2006
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