{"id":19903,"date":"2025-10-04T17:37:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T16:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=19903"},"modified":"2025-10-21T20:59:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T19:59:15","slug":"america-is-not-ready-for-influx-of-hyper-deadly-new-narcan-resistant-opioid-from-china-top-dea-agent-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/10\/america-is-not-ready-for-influx-of-hyper-deadly-new-narcan-resistant-opioid-from-china-top-dea-agent-warns\/","title":{"rendered":"America is not ready for influx of hyper-deadly new Narcan-resistant opioid from China, top DEA agent warns"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"single__header\">\n<header class=\"article-header\">\n<h1><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">By Jennie Taer<span class=\"updated-text\"> &#8211; New York Post &#8211; Published <\/span><span class=\"updated-date\">Aug. 28, 2025, 6:00 a.m. ET<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"article-header__meta\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" aria-label=\"Byline\">\n<div class=\"article-header__social-icons\">\n<div class=\"social-icons social-icons--horizontal\">\n<div data-comment-count=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content featured-image featured-image__wrapper\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"nyp-video-player \" data-aspect-ratio=\"16:9\">\n<div class=\"nyp-video-player__video-container\">\n<div id=\"jw-player-SPdDOYds-ehbMfGcr\">\n<div id=\"jwPlacementDiv_hmicJcvf\" data-jw-placement-id=\"hmicJcvf\">\n<div id=\"jwExperienceDiv_tt5vk073cn88\">\n<div class=\"floating-close-button-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"floating-close-button \" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Close Player\"><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The US is \u201cbehind the curve\u201d on fighting a deadly new synthetic narcotic that\u2019s dramatically more lethal than fentanyl\u00a0and resistant to Narcan, a top DEA agent warns.<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"single__content entry-content m-bottom\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Just as authorities in the US and China increase efforts to tackle the scourge of fentanyl, the drug manufacturers, who are motivated by \u201cgreed,\u201d shifted to start producing nitazenes \u2014 an even deadlier poison, said Drug Enforcement Administration Houston Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan C. Pullen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The Trump administration has hit Mexico and China with sanctions and tariffs to force the foreign governments to act against illicit drug producers responsible for the poisonings of thousands of Americans each year.<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-19928\" style=\"color: #0000ee;\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/good-and-fake.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1105\" height=\"738\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/good-and-fake.jpg 1105w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/good-and-fake-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/good-and-fake-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/good-and-fake-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1105px) 100vw, 1105px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Nitazenes and other synthetic drugs are often disguised to look like prescription pills.<span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image__wrapper\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;\">Additionally, with President Trump\u2019s effort to close the southern border, the feds have seen a significant drop in the flow of illicit fentanyl into the US.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">But the Chinese pharma companies and cartels have already moved to introduce a new and stronger drug that many authorities are just now learning about, Pullen said.<\/span><\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--more inline-module--trending inline-module--more--thirds\" data-source-unit=\"Explore More - Trending\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__content\">\n<div class=\"layout layout--thirds\">\n<div class=\"layout__grid layout__grid--gap-10\">\n<div class=\"layout__item\">\n<div class=\"layout__inner b-top b-top-none-md p-top p-top-none-md b-left-md p-left-md\">\n<div class=\"story story--i-flex story--i-flex-none-md\">\n<h3 class=\"story__headline headline headline--xxs\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cI do think we are behind the curve. But that\u2019s been the case with these synthetic opioids \u2014 that they shift,\u201d he told The Post.<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cAnd if we get into a place where then we are able to issue controls or China issues more controls on the precursor chemicals that go to these, they\u2019ll just change the analog and it\u2019ll go to another precursor chemical. China\u2019s already done that,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Nitazenes are produced in China, often with the help of Mexican cartels that finish the product and move it north across the border, according to Pullen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The potent narcotic can be up to 43 times stronger than fentanyl depending on the formula,\u00a0according to the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Nitazenes are not included in routine drug tests or toxicology screenings, making them all the more challenging to detect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">While the feds are \u201cmaking headway\u201d to tackle the new threat, there\u2019s still more work to be done, said Pullen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cSo it\u2019s very very difficult to stay ahead of it, so we\u2019ve got to continue to step up our enforcement along the border,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cI think that the number of overdose deaths being reduced in the United States is a testament to that. The enforcement is not the only reason its reduced. Naloxone [aka Narcan] is a huge piece too, but we\u2019re definitely making some headway and we\u2019re gonna keep pushing on that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">There were 80,000 overdose deaths in the US in 2024 \u2014 a 27% drop from the 110,000 deaths estimated in 2023,\u00a0according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">While the wider use of Narcan has contributed to the drop in overdose deaths, nitazenes is often resistant to the drug antidote \u2014 adding a terrifying new pitfall, Pullen warned.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly deadly and normal treatment methods like naloxone \u2026 don\u2019t work as well on nitazenes because it\u2019s so much stronger,\u201d said Pullen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cIt\u2019s really hard to overcome if you\u2019ve taken one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">In the Houston-area, there were 15 deaths related to nitazenes and 11 seizures of the drug between November and February,\u00a0according to the DEA.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Two of the victims were best friends Lucci Reyes-McCallister, 22,\u00a0and Hunter Clement, 21, who ingested pills marketed as Xanax and Percocet that actually contained N-pyrrolidino protonitazene, a form of nitazenes that is 25 times stronger than fentanyl.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image__wrapper\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><span class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image__icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image__icon-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/10\/america-is-not-ready-for-influx-of-hyper-deadly-new-narcan-resistant-opioid-from-china-top-dea-agent-warns\/nitazene-prevalence\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19927\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-19927\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nitazene-prevalence.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"737\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nitazene-prevalence.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nitazene-prevalence-640x429.jpg 640w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nitazene-prevalence-1024x686.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/nitazene-prevalence-768x515.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div><figcaption><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">An illustration that highlights the U.S. cities with the highest rates of nitazene-related overdoses.<span class=\"credit\">Jared Larson \/ NY Post Design<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">And their mothers are warning America\u2019s youth in the hopes of saving lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cThey could think something is clean or rather safe when it\u2019s actually pressed for something that\u2019s 20 to 40 times stronger, more deadly than fentanyl,\u201d Lucci\u2019s mother Grey recently told The Post.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cIt just really lit a fire under me. There was no way Lucci was going to die in vain,\u201d she added.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"comments-inline-cta\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-comment-count=\"\" data-prompt=\"What do you think?\">\n<div><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The drug was developed 60 years ago as a possible alternative to morphine, but was outlawed for medical use over its high overdose risk.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Authorities in\u00a0Europe have already seen several overdoses\u00a0from the synthetic narcotic. It was first detected in the US in 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Last January,\u00a0a Florida man confessed to distributing protonitazene\u00a0that he received in mailed shipments from China, according to the IRS.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Customs\u00a0officers at Kennedy are also seeing the drug\u00a0coming through the airport \u201cat least a few times a week in quantities ranging from just a few grams to upwards of a pound or more,\u201d Andrew Renna, assistant port director for cargo operations at the airport, said in May.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Source: https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/08\/28\/us-news\/america-not-ready-to-combat-nitazene-synthetic-opioids-dea-agent\/<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Jennie Taer &#8211; New York Post &#8211; Published Aug. 28, 2025, 6:00 a.m. ET The US is \u201cbehind the curve\u201d on fighting a deadly new synthetic narcotic that\u2019s dramatically more lethal than fentanyl\u00a0and resistant to Narcan, a top DEA agent warns. Just as authorities in the US and China increase efforts to tackle the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,68,135,92,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-addiction","category-drug-use-various-effects","category-opioids","category-synthetics","category-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19903"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19934,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19903\/revisions\/19934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}