Deadliest-yet synthetic opiates uncovered in Monmouth

FREEHOLD - Deadly chemicals, hundreds of times more potent than the oxycodone they deliberately resemble, surface in Monmouth County, and the fear among law enforcement members is that people are buying them from dealers without knowing that the tablets can kill them.

Carfentanil and Cyclopropyl Fentanyl in pill form were recovered in separate recent probes in Long Branch and Holmdel, and their composition was verified in the New Jersey State Police Lab, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Gramiccioni.

They bear imprints reading A/215, replicating the branding on the actual opiate pain killer.

"The arrival of Carfentanil and Cyclopropyl Fentanyl is bad news for everybody, especially those suffering with an opiate addiction in Monmouth County," Gramiccioni said in prepared comments.

"Although these counterfeit pills appear to be oxycodone, they can have deadly consequences. If you are buying these pills on the street, you are playing a deadly version of Russian roulette

Authorities say that Carfentanil is 10,000 times more potent than morphine, and 100 times more potent than fentanyl. Veterinary use us limited to one granule, and that amount can kill humans, authorities said. The Drug Enforcement Administration issued a safety alert to first responders and police officers, to guard against exposure to it.

Cyclopropyl Fentanyl has no human or animal application, authorities said, adding that it's been linked to a spate of overdose deaths in Georgia.

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