'This Changes The Game': TBI Finds Fentanyl In Cocaine

NASHVILLE, TN — In recent weeks, scientists in Tennessee crime labs have made an alarming finding in recent weeks.

Several sample of cocaine, submitted by law enforcement agencies in Middle and East Tennessee in recent months, also tested positive for the powerful narcotic painkiller fentanyl or one of its analogs. While fentanyl had been found in spiked samples of heroin and other opioids, the recent tests mark the first time it has been found in other classes of recreational drugs.

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“For some time now, we’ve warned about the dangers surrounding fentanyl for those struggling with opioid or prescription drug addiction,” said T.J. Jordan, Assistant Director of the TBI’s Drug Investigation Division. “This submission, however, changes the game. It proves the serious risk now also applies to recreational drugs beyond opioids. To be blunt: What you might buy and use, thinking it’s a good time, could cost you your life.”

Watch: 'This Changes The Game': TBI Finds Fentanyl In Cocaine

Fentanyl can be 50 to 100 times as potent as morphine. It can be absorbed through the skin and in some cases, simply touching it can lead to an overdose.

The submission of substances submitted to TBI’s laboratories testing positive for fentanyl and its analogs continues to increase. In 2013, the TBI processed 12 samples that tested positive for fentanyl. In 2016, the TBI’s Forensic Scientists tested 209 samples that tested positive for fentanyl or one of its analogs. This year, that number is 320 with more than two months left in the year.

“Drug dealers don’t care about the lives of their customers. They only care about making money,” said TBI’s Tommy Farmer, who oversees the Tennessee Dangerous Drugs Task Force. “What you think might be high-quality cocaine may very well have been cut with any number of substances, some of them potentially deadly. Why take the risk with something that could kill you?”

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