Pubdate: Fri, 16 Jun 2006
Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH)
Copyright: 2006 The Columbus Dispatch
Contact:  http://www.dispatch.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/93
Author: Margaret Harding, The Columbus Dispatch
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

FENTANYL-LACED HEROIN FOUND IN OHIO

Mansfield, Columbus Labs Identify Fatal Combo

MANSFIELD, Ohio -- The deadly mix of drugs that has killed addicts in 
Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia has reached Ohio. Mansfield police 
have identified the powerful prescription painkiller fentanyl in six 
of the last 10 batches of heroin confiscated by police.

Mansfield police laboratory director Anthony Tambasco said he decided 
to start looking for fentanyl after hearing about the deaths in 
Detroit just before Memorial Day.

Authorities there have confirmed 100 fentanyl/heroin deaths. Another 
60 were confirmed in the Chicago area.

"It's not something you normally look for," Tambasco said.

Police are trying to find out if recent drug overdoses were caused by 
the painkiller, commonly prescribed in patch form.

"We haven't been able to directly relate any overdoses to fentanyl 
yet," Mansfield Police Sgt. Mike Bammann said. "We had a death, and 
it tentatively appears to be an overdose, but we're still waiting for 
the toxicology report."

Tambasco said he saw a drugabuse case Tuesday with paraphernalia that 
contained fentanyl.

Fentanyl at about 3 percent strength is all it takes to make a 
combination with heroin deadly, Bammann said. "You can't tell it's in 
there, and fentanyl on itself is deadly, much less putting it with 
heroin," he said.

Columbus police have discovered three to four cases of fentanyl mixed 
with heroin in the past month, crime lab manager Jami St. Clair said. 
The tests the lab runs on drugs not only confirm the presence of 
heroin, but also any other substances in the mix, she said.

Fentanyl can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin, said Columbus 
Police Sgt. Steve Overholser, who works in the narcotics bureau. "A 
heroin abuser knows how much he typically uses and if he's unaware 
his heroin is cut with fentanyl and uses the same amount, you can see 
where the problems start," he said.

The State Highway Patrol crime lab has not run across any fentanyl in 
the heroin it tests, Lt. Rick Zwayer said. But, he added, troopers 
typically confiscate more marijuana and cocaine then heroin.

Some of the heroin Tambasco tested was confiscated.

Some was purchased by officers in undercover buys, Bammann said. "We 
know who we are buying from," Bammann said. "We are hoping that 
through these lab tests to be able to work back and pinpoint the 
people we have bought this bad heroin from and work backwards to a 
supplier who's bringing this stuff into our area." Bammann said he 
has instructed officers to be extremely careful whenever they suspect 
a substance to be heroin.

"Should you get some, merely by handling it, on your fingers and rub 
it into a mucus membrane, like your eyes or mouth, you could 
overdose," he said.

Tambasco, who will be testing more heroin this week, said he's not 
sure if the heroin mixed with fentanyl is from the same source. "It's 
a health hazard to start with, but it just got worse," he said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman