Law enforcement warns deadly drug cocktail circulating in Virginia and nation

Thad Randazzo
·1 min read

WYTHEVILLE Va. (WFXR) – The Wytheville Police Department and the DEA are reporting that drugs are now being found around the country containing a deadly combination of fentanyl and xylazine.

Xylazine is a synthetic animal tranquilizer that is unaffected by the rapid overdose treatment, Narcan. Law enforcement says that “60% or 6 out of 10 illegal or counterfeit pills seized” contain fentanyl. With the addition of Xylazine, young people, including high school and college students in Virginia are at an increased risk.

Blacksburg man in custody after police find illicit drugs worth over $237K during search

“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” said Administrator Anne Milgram. “DEA has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 of 50 States. The DEA Laboratory System is reporting that approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine.” the number is rising, reports the DEA.

The Wytheville Police Department urges parents to speak with their children about the risks of taking these dangerous narcotics, at a time when the nation is facing one of the deadliest opioid epidemics in history.

For more information, you can visit the CDC’s website, here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFXRtv.