The San Francisco branch of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is warning the Bay Area community that it recently seized thousands of pills containing a substance one hundred times more lethal that fentanyl that also doesn’t respond as well to overdose interventions such as naloxone, the agency said.  

The DEA seized 5,000 counterfeit pills containing carfentanil, which is an elephant tranquilizer and “not for humans,” the agency said Monday on social media.  

Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid that resembles other white, powdery substances such as fentanyl or cocaine. According to the DEA, it is 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Due to its strength, a “nearly microscopic” amount of it can induce powerful effects, the DEA said.  

“In an effort to increase drug potency and profits, carfentanil has been found mixed with other drugs or pressed into pills to look like prescription pain killers,” said the DEA on its website. “This increases the likelihood of fatal overdose and poisoning deaths, especially among users who are unaware they are ingesting such a powerful substance.”  

Carfentanil has been found in 37 states and most often comes in pill or tablet form made to look like prescription medications. Most concerning is that emergency antidotes for overdoses such as naloxone may not work for Carfentanil users.  

“Multiple, high doses of naloxone may be required, and even then, effective reversal of an overdose is not guaranteed,” said the DEA.  

For more information, go to dea.gov. 

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.