Pubdate: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Copyright: 2006 Journal Sentinel Inc. Contact: http://www.jsonline.com/news/editorials/submit.asp Website: http://www.jsonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/265 Author: John Diedrich, MAP archives articles exactly as published, except that our editors may redact the names and addresses of accused persons who have not been convicted of a crime, if those named are not otherwise public figures or officials DEADLY DRUG EMERGES IN CITY Alone Or With Heroin, Fentanyl Has Killed Hundreds A powerful drug that when mixed with heroin has been traced to hundreds of deaths nationwide has surfaced in Milwaukee, authorities said Thursday.Advertisement Last week, Milwaukee vice detectives seized 6.5 grams of pure fentanyl - a legally produced synthetic painkiller that is 80 times stronger than morphine - in a bust on the city's north side, said Lt. Robert Stelter. They thought they were getting heroin and were surprised to learn it was fentanyl, presumably sold to be added to heroin, he said. Fentanyl has surfaced in Chicago, Detroit and other cities with deadly results. The drug has been traced to the deaths of 200 people in the United States and at least three in Wisconsin. So far, the drug has not been directly tied to any deaths in Milwaukee, but on Thursday an official in the Racine County medical examiner's office said at least two deaths there have been linked to fentanyl in 2006. Ryan Willhard, a 21-year-old former Cedarburg resident, died of an overdose June 18 in an apartment in Grand Chute, in Outagamie County. His father, John Willhard, said authorities told him that his son died of a fentanyl overdose. Willhard said his son had been heroin free for eight months but began using again. He said his son probably tried to buy heroin again and was instead sold fentanyl. Fentanyl is so powerful it can cause an overdose through absorption through the skin, prompting a warning to law enforcement officers to be careful when handling the drug, Stelter said. This was Milwaukee's first seizure of the drug and the largest in the state, said David Spakowicz, state special agent in charge of a heroin task force here. He estimated the seizure was worth $25,000. [Name redacted], 29, who gave police a Chicago address but later listed a Milwaukee address, has been charged in the north side bust with manufacture and delivery of a designer drug, according to online court records. He was released after posting $750 bail on Tuesday, according to jail officials. Stelter said the amount of fentanyl seized was enough to cut into thousands of packets of heroin, which can be as small as a tenth of an ounce. "We are really worried now we are seeing this," Stelter said. "The problem is it is so potent, and they are not pharmacists. If they mix it wrong, you die." Tom Kertscher of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report. - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine