HIDTA alert cites seven overdoses since Sunday, two fatal, with carfentanil possibly involved

Organ Mountain News report

LAS CRUCES - Drug intelligence officers are warning the public after an unusual spike in overdoses in Las Cruces and Doña Ana County, including two deaths since Sunday.

The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program reported seven overdoses in the county in recent days. Two men — ages 30 and 26 — died in unrelated incidents within Las Cruces city limits.

So far in August, HIDTA has tracked 21 overdoses in Doña Ana County, five of them fatal. Most have occurred in Las Cruces.

“At this point we have not received any drug test results, but fentanyl was the suspected drug in most of these cases,” said Kevin Renn, a drug intelligence officer for New Mexico HIDTA. “This is very unusual for Doña Ana County. We’ve also received reports from the New Mexico Crime Lab that carfentanil has been showing up in the drug supply, so it may be related to these overdoses.”

Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid not approved for human use and designed originally as a tranquilizer for large animals such as elephants. It is estimated to be 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl. Even minimal exposure can be fatal.

Narcan was administered but was unsuccessful in the two Las Cruces deaths reported since Sunday. Police cautioned against using or handling any illegal drugs.

The HIDTA program provides assistance to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies in New Mexico.