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19 Overdose deaths in Wayne County linked to Elephant tranquilizer, Carfentanil

Posted at 11:34 PM, Oct 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-06 23:34:14-04

A new kind of street drug is taking a deadly toll in Detroit.

The State Health Department has confirmed 19 deaths in Wayne County that could be linked to overdoses of carfentanil.

The drug is a tranquilizer used to euthanize elephants.

All of the reported overdose victims mixed the drug with heroin or some other type of opioid.

Mixed with heroin, carfentail is extremely potent. The drug is 10,000 times stronger than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl, the prescription painkiller that lead to the death of the pop star Prince.

First responders are being told to wear protective gloves and masks; the drug can be dangerous to someone who touches or inhales it.

The use of carfentanil has also been linked to multiple deaths in Ohio.