There is another batch of super potent
heroin hitting the streets again. It is going by the street name of Predator,
with a shark image on the bag. Other bags stamped with "Chocolate"
and “Chicken / Waffle" have also been found at OD scenes. This Heroin appears
to be laced with another unknown substance (probably another Opiate) that is
adding to its potency. This is causing the patients to go into respiratory
arrest quicker and not leaving enough time for rescuers to arrive and
administer Narcan. . While Narcan is still effective in treating these
patients; the deaths have been attributed to the rapid onset of unconsciousness
and respiratory depression / arrest. See the rest of the article below.
Two people are dead in the largest wave of
heroin overdoses in the Pittsburgh area since a fentanyl-laced batch killed
almost two dozen in 2014, officials said.
Ten people survived when paramedics
administered Narcan, a drug that reverses the opioid's deadly effects, police
Cmdr. RaShall Brackney said Wednesday. The dozen overdoses were reported
between Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon, most on the South Side and in
neighborhoods on the West End, Brackney said.
“This huge spike in the last 24 hours is
causing us extreme concern,” Brackney said.
Patrick Byrnes, 38, of Beechview and James
Nardozi, 31, of Dormont died Tuesday of suspected overdoses. The official cause
of death for the men is pending, Allegheny County spokeswoman Amie Downs said,
but added that Dr. Karl Williams, the county medical examiner, indicated they
appear to be heroin-related. Relatives for Byrnes and Nardozi declined to
comment.
Police found bags stamped with the word
“predator” and the image of a shark at the scene of several overdoses, police
Cmdr. Larry Scirotto said.
A bag found by Byrnes was stamped
“Chocolate,” while a bag found near Nardozi had the stamp, “Chicken/Waffle,”
according to Downs.
The Allegheny County Crime Lab is
analyzing the stamp bags.
It appears the heroin came from the same
distributor, but, “It's hard to predict if this is more potent or if it's laced
with something else,” Scirotto said.
Asked if the dealer who sold the heroin
could face homicide charges, Mike Manko, spokesman for Allegheny County
District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., said, “I would not speculate on
something in which we don't know all of the facts.”
Officials say the latest rash constitutes
the largest number of drug overdoses since a batch of fentanyl-laced heroin
killed nearly two dozen people in Western Pennsylvania in January 2014.
Investigators are looking for the original source of the heroin-fentanyl combo,
a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Fentanyl is a synthetic
opioid.
U.S. Attorney David Hickton announced last
month that a federal grand jury indicted 14 people in connection with a drug
ring that was made public in October. That brought to 54 the number of
indictments in that investigation, much of it involving heroin.
Brackney said paramedics carry Narcan to
treat suspected opioid overdose victims. Pittsburgh EMS Chief Mark Bocian has
said city paramedics have carried Narcan for at least 20 years.
There has been talk of equipping city
police officers, Bocian has said. No one with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police
would comment Wednesday.
Westmoreland County Sheriff's deputies
began carrying Narcan last year; state police troopers will carry it soon.
Narcan wipes opioid molecules from brain
receptors to send users into sudden withdrawal. It costs about $20 per dose.
When Narcan first came out, it had to be
injected with a syringe. But now it is available as a nasal spray, which makes
it easier for law enforcement or family members to administer, said Dr. Neil
Capretto, medical director at Gateway Rehabilitation Center.
