3 Dead And 6 Hospitalized After Snorting Tainted Cocaine In North Carolina

Tainted cocaine in North Carolina is responsible for the deaths of three people and the hospitalization of six others. Four others were treated on the scene. The cocaine was laced with a potent pain killer, resulting in a deadly concoction, and was used in two locations within mere hours of each other. It is unknown whether the individuals who used the tainted cocaine were aware of the extra ingredient.

The incident took place on Saturday morning in Bear Creek and Siler City, North Carolina, according to a report by Reuters. The Chatham County Sheriff’s department stated that the cocaine was laced with Fentanyl, a potent pain killer. Mihael Currie, 42, Randal Welch, 24, and Perry Saunders, 23, all died as a result of using the deadly combination of powdered cocaine and Fentanyl. Fentanyl is use primarily to treat severe pain and is not intended to be used in a recreational fashion, especially mixed with other dangers drugs such as cocaine.

As reported previously by the Inquisitr, cocaine laced with dangerous substances is all too common all over the world. Unfortunately, its purity is not always easy to determine by the naked eye.

According to a report by Forbes, using a cocaine mixture with just 10 percent of Fentanyl can prove to be deadly to the person using it. A chemist from North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation identified Fentanyl as the lethal ingredient in the cocaine that killed the three men and hospitalized six others. He warned that the combination is lethal and should be avoided at all costs.

However, he also advised that an overdose can be reversed if caught in time. The antidote, naloxone, can be injected into the victim and potentially save his or her life. Fentanyl laced cocaine and heroin has become so popular that regional harm reduction agencies have been giving out the antidote to family members of individuals who have become dependent on opioids or are in recovery.

Although the victims in this case were targeted through the use of Fentanyl-laced cocaine, heroin is the most common ingredient it is mixed with. According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Fentanyl-laced heroin incidents increased fivefold between 1999 and 2010. Its spread into cocaine is worrisome to the administration, causing them to rethink and expand their educational program.

There is no current update on the individuals that were hospitalized from the incident, but those that were treated on the scene are expected to recover fully.

[Photo Courtesy: Drogas Mexico]