Twelve hospitalized after powdered fentanyl was first found in NZ

• Twelve people have been hospitalized in the past 48 hours for a fentanyl overdose, at least six of whom were found unconscious and in serious condition.
• In some cases, the drug, a white powder, was mismarketed as cocaine or methamphetamine.
• It is the first time powdered fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has been discovered in New Zealand.
• Authorities warn the discovery is of “major concern” because of the damage caused internationally by fentanyl, including 60,000 deaths in the United States last year.

Powdered fentanyl was first discovered in New Zealand after 12 people were hospitalized for 48 hours in Wairarapa after the substance was sold as cocaine and methamphetamine.

Police are now investigating the drug’s source and its prevalence in the community, warning that 1 gram of pure powdered fentanyl is the equivalent of 20,000 safe doses of the drug.

National Drug Intelligence Bureau manager, Detective Inspector Blair Macdonald, said the discovery was a “major concern” because of the damage caused internationally by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid.

“In North America, for example, more than 60,000 people lost their lives last year alone from a fentanyl overdose,” he said. “We are well aware that we don’t want to see this kind of damage happen in our community here in New Zealand.”

READ MORE:
* Early warning of ‘highly potent’ and deadly synthetic drug found in Wellington may have saved lives
*Public Help Wanted for Nasal Spray to Save Lives of Overdose Victims
* Drug users in Sydney poisoned by fentanyl because they think it’s cocaine

Saturday night, High Alert warned of an unknown white powder linked to multiple hospitalizations in the Wairarapa.

Preliminary tests on Sunday showed the powder was fentanyl, or a fentanyl-type substance. Further testing will be performed by ESR to confirm this.

Each treated person showed the same symptoms as an opioid overdose, and all responded well to naloxone, a drug that reverses an opioid overdose, Macdonald said.

At least six people were unconscious and in serious condition when emergency services arrived.

Wellington Free Ambulance and other health services in Wellington and Wairarapa have naloxone available in the event of further overdoses and additional supplies have been made available if needed.

The white powder is very similar to cocaine and authorities warn that it should not be consumed in any amount.

“Based on the number of hospital admissions and the geographic distribution of incidents, it is likely that this substance is widely available in the Wairarapa region and possibly beyond,” High Alert, a drug early warning system, said in a statement.

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and is rarely seen on New Zealand’s illicit drug market.

“We’re still optimistic that this is a one-off and this is exactly why the drug early warning system exists, to pick up these patterns of acute harm in the community,” Macdonald said.

Currently, fentanyl in liquid form is used for pain relief in the health system. In cases where the drug has been used for recreational purposes, it has usually been obtained illegally from these services, Macdonald said.

Both fentanyl and heroin are monitored in the nationwide wastewater testing program.

“If there was an illegal withdrawal of that drug, we would see it through those tests very quickly,” Macdonald said.

Symptoms reported include a person becoming unresponsive and/or losing consciousness, slowed and/or difficulty breathing and a weak pulse.

Fentanyl test strips can help identify the substance, and drug control services can also identify when a substance is not as sold.

Anonymous reports of the drug can be made through High Alert’s unusual effects reporting system using the alert ID N22/029.