COLUMBUS – Ohio law enforcement agencies are issuing warnings about a powerful new form of the opiate fentanyl which has appeared on the streets in the past year and was linked to the recent death of actor Michael K. Williams.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation says parafluorofentanyl, a potent and deadly form of fentanyl, was first identified in the state in October 2020 and authorities have found a steadily increasing amount of the drug in the 11 months since then, according to a public bulletin from the BCI.
Law enforcement agencies reported seizing 553 drug stashes containing parafluorofentanyl in the last year, with the highest number of seizures reported last month.
The largest seizure in central Ohio was four kilos of fentanyl recently confiscated by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Hilliard Division of Police. Half of the drugs tested positive for parafluorofentanyl, Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said.
Authorities in 70 of Ohio’s 88 counties have encountered the new variant and the BCI is warning agencies that first responders should exercise caution.
The state agency says parafluorofentanyl, commonly referred to as “China white,” comes in powder form and in blue tablets and can be administered with a syringe. It is often mixed with other drugs and has contributed to overdoses, including the one that claimed the life of actor Michael K. Williams in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Sept. 6.
According to the bulletin, the drug is considered more potent than fentanyl because it triggers more opioid receptors.