Carfentanil Makes its First Confirmed Appearance in Mass.

Carfentanil—which is 10,000 times more potent than morphine—was detected in state drug lab tests from three recent narcotics seizures, State Police spokesman David Procopio said.

Two samples were from drugs seized by Brockton police while a third was detected in a batch of narcotics seized by the MBTA's Transit Police in Quincy, he said.

"These are the first, and to date only, positive tests for carfentanil that we have had," Procopio said.

Last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a nationwide alert about the drug, which is used by veterinarians to tranquilize elephants and other large animals. The DEA confirmed more than 400 carfentanil overdoses in at least eight states last year.

Tim Desmond, a special agent with the DEA's New England division, said the drug's presence creates another problem in dealing with a spate of heroin and opioid addiction.

"This stuff was never meant for human consumption," he said. "It's extremely dangerous."

Desmond said heroin cut with carfentanil—similar to fentanyl—allows drug dealers to increase their supplies and profits, but users often don't know what they're getting. In liquid form, the drug is odorless and colorless, making it virtually impossible for users to know what they're taking.

"To the people that are distributing it, it's about making more money," he said. "For users, it's like a game of Russian roulette, because they don't know what's in it."

A 10 milligram dose of carfentanil is powerful enough to sedate—even kill—a 15,000-pound African elephant. Desmond said the drug mostly comes from China, which recently took steps to curb mail-order exports of opioids.

Carfentanil also can be absorbed through the skin, so non-users can overdose by simply touching it.

It has also proven resistant to naloxone, the overdose-reversing drug commonly used by first-responders to revive addicts.

Carfentanil first surfaced in the Midwest and has been blamed for overdoses—many of them fatal—in states including Ohio, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Florida.

In New Hampshire, at least six deaths have been linked to carfentanil since the beginning of the year, according to Attorney General Gordon MacDonald's office.

The deadly overdoses, confirmed by the state's drug lab, included two 35-year-old men from Manchester and a 48-year-old Meredith man. Details were not available on the other deaths, and no arrests have been made, according to MacDonald's office.

Last month, Maine confirmed its first fatal overdose from carfentanil.

Massachusetts lawmakers have been bracing for the drug's arrival with increased funding for law enforcement to target dealers and by proposing tough penalties for those caught dealing it.

One bipartisan plan adds the drug to the list of Class A controlled substances and makes possession of 5 grams or more punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

"We're extremely worried about this stuff," said Rep. Paul Tucker, D-Salem, one of the bill's main sponsors. "This is probably the most deadly substance anyone has seen."

Tucker, a former Salem, Massachusetts, police chief, filed the bill with Rep. Tim Whelan, R-Brewster, whom he worked with last year to toughen penalties for fentanyl, another powerful opioid that has killed thousands. The proposal has been co-signed by more than 60 lawmakers.

A similar bipartisan proposal, backed by Sens. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, and Barbara L'Italien, D-Andover, would make trafficking in carfentanil a criminal offense.

Massachusetts has been hard hit by the wave of opioid addiction that state officials say claims an average of four lives each day.

In 2016, health officials counted at least 2,000 fatal overdoses statewide, many of them linked to heroin laced with fentanyl.

Lawmakers are trying to keep up with the changing landscape of synthetic opioids.

"Today it's carfentanil, tomorrow it's going to be something else," said Rep. Linda Campbell, D-Methuen, who supports Tucker's proposal. "We have to expect that this is going to continue, so we need to be proactive."

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group's newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhi.com.

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