Police in Northern Ireland have seized heroin laced with the potentially lethal drug fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate 100 times stronger than heroin and is typically administered in hospitals to treat patients suffering from severe chronic pain or recovering from surgery.
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It made headlines last year after it was revealed musician Prince died from an accidental fentanyl overdose and has been widely blamed for the escalating opioid crisis in the US.
Stan Brown, chief executive of Forensic Science Northern Ireland, said he was alarmed that fentanyl had been found in the seized narcotics.
“Just a tiny quantity can kill and the user has no way of knowing that it is actually in drug they are taking,” he said.
Fentanyl and its many analogues, which include the elephant tranquiliser carfentanil, slow down the respiratory system and can make a user lose consciousness or stop breathing, especially when combined with other drugs or alcohol.
Coming into any contact with the drugs, including powder touching a person’s skin or being accidentally inhaled, “could potentially cause serious harm”, says the Belfast Telegraph.