VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.— Experts with the Drug Enforcement Administration said the deadliest drug in the country which is Fentanyl, is getting even more dangerous.
The White House has declared that the powerful opioid Fentanyl, combined with Xylazine— an animal tranquilizer—is an emerging threat in the ongoing opioid crisis.
DEA agents said it's a flesh-rotting street drug fueling overdose deaths in Hampton Roads.
"Fentanyl is the deadliest drug I've ever seen, and now it's even deadlier," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget.
Forget says drug dealers are now adding another deadly drug in the mix known as Xylazine.
"It's not an opioid but it has the same effects as Fentanyl will have on your body, where it depresses respiratory function," said Forget.
Xylazine, also known as "Tranq" on the streets, is used as a tranquilizer for horses, livestock and other large animals. Forget says drug dealers use it as a cheaper binding agent when they load pills with Fentanyl to increase their cash flow.
"In Hampton Roads, we've seen an increase in Xylazine mixed with drugs since 2020," said Forget.
Forget said his agency has seen the combination in 48 of the 50 states, including Virginia.
Last July, News 3 reported a2-year-old died in York County with the autopsy listing the cause of death as a combination of Fentanyl and Xylazine.
Shannon Doyle says her 16-year-old daughter, Makayla Cox, lost her life after taking painkillers she didn't know were laced with Fentanyl.
"People think they're getting one drug and they're getting something that's laced with something that will kill them," Doyle said.
It's a risk many people take.
"I walked in and she was pale, she was stiff. She had stuff coming out of her nose and out of her mouth" said Doyle.
Makayla never woke up.
She was an honor roll student, a gifted cheerleader, and a gymnast.
Her mom told News 3 she died from Fentanyl, something she didn't intend on taking.
"I didn't know anything about Fentanyl," Doyle said. "I had no reason to believe that she wouldn't wake up."
Forget says in 2022, more than 107,000 people died from a drug overdose. Nearly 70% of those deaths were because of Fentanyl and in people between the ages of 18 and 45.
When it comes to this deadly mix with Xylazine, Doyle has a message for parents.
"Don't say 'not me, not my family, not my kids', because it is," Doyle said. "Whether it's affecting them directly or indirectly by people they know. It's not discriminatory."
The DEA wants you to not take any pills that aren't prescribed by your doctor or given to you by a pharmacist.
