A synthetic opioid described as “fentanyl on steroids” was seized in a drug bust in Florida, police said.
West Palm Beach police seized $1.6 million worth of N-desethyl isotonitazene, known as ISO, during a raid, according to reports. WPBF.
Authorities discovered the deadly drug in the form of powder, pills and bricks while executing search warrants at a home and storage unit in early July.
“The substances turned out to be 50 times more potent than the normal fentanyl we normally work with,” said Lt. Joe Herb.
“Fentanyl is normally very dangerous. Now we’re talking about 50 times the potency.”
West Palm Beach police seized $1.6 million worth of N-desethyl isotonitazene, known as ISO, during a raid
Lt. Joe Herb (pictured) said the drug was found to be 50 times more potent than regular fentanyl and that he had never seen anything like it in his 34 years as a narcotics officer.
Police said the only other time they had heard of ISO being found so far was in Philadelphia.
An unidentified person has been arrested in connection with the discovery. Herb said the drug is being sold on the streets of the Sunshine State and he is concerned that this will lead to more overdoses.
“This is scary. I’ve been a police officer for 34 years. I’ve been in the narcotics business for most of my career. This is scary,” Herb said.
“You breathe that substance in, or you grab it and touch your eyes or you grab your mouth or something like that; it’s a big concern right now.”
In powder form, ISO may appear yellow, brown or whitish, depending on the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The doctors told the local news station that ISO is a different compound from fentanyl, but that both substances are found in other illegal drugs is worrying.
“As scary as it may sound, it’s not surprising that this is where these synthetic opioids are headed,” said HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital internal medicine physician Dr. Pedram Rad.
“This drug is actually 60 to 70 years old. It was initially developed as a pain management drug and was never approved by the FDA in the United States.”
Authorities discovered the deadly drug in powder, pill and brick form while executing search warrants at a home and storage unit in early July.
Doctors said ISO is a different compound than fentanyl, but the fact that both substances are found in other illegal drugs is concerning.
Medical experts recommend taking anyone who has ingested ISO to the hospital for treatment and having NARCAN on hand.
“They have the potential to slow down the heart and breathing and can cause brain damage or people can die from it, so when they’re used on the street, where they’re not controlled, and you don’t know what dose you’re getting, those are the things that can happen,” said Dr. Olayemi Osiyemi, an infectious disease physician at St. Mary’s Medical Center.
‘The potency of these drugs could potentially cause someone to go into a coma and die very quickly.’
A recent CDC report found there were a record 107,941 overdose deaths in 2022, the most recent data available — the equivalent of 295 deaths per day and one percent more than the previous year.
Fentanyl was the main force behind the increase, which is lethal even in minuscule doses, and the illicit drug was responsible for nearly 70 percent of the deaths.
Provisional figures for 2023 suggest the epidemic is continuing to rise, with 110,640 deaths estimated during the 12 months to October that year.
