IT’S the zombie drug that has left parts of American cities looking apocalyptic.
Homeless drug addicts living in makeshift tent towns in places like San Francisco, Philadelphia and Los Angeles openly shoot up in the streets before sinking into oblivion.
Fentanyl users lie semi-conscious in the streets of San Francisco[/caption]
Hundreds of pounds of fentanyl and meth found in a drugs raid in Mexico[/caption]
Robert Fraser, pictured with little brother Tyler, was the first Brit to die after taking the drug[/caption]
Now experts reckon Britain is about to be flooded with the deadly drug fentanyl after America launched a crackdown on Mexican cartels and Chinese labs which produce it.
They warn that drug cartels are “already testing the waters” to peddle the opioid through Europe, where it can easily be transported into Britain.
Spanish cops have already intercepted shipments and Italian intelligence say the country’s most powerful crime syndicate ‘Ndrangheta is experimenting with fentanyl.
Drug expert Tony D’Agostino, who trains frontline workers, told The Sun: “Mexican cartels are constantly looking for new markets.
“With increasing pressure at the US-Mexico border they may see Europe as the next big opportunity.
“They already have well-established cocaine trafficking networks in the UK and the rest of Europe, meaning fentanyl could be introduced using those same supply routes.”
Fentanyl is so dangerous that it’s dubbed the ‘one-touch death’ drug because just microscopic amounts can kill.
And one mum whose son was the first victim of the opioid in the UK has warned just how lethal fentanyl is.
Michelle Fraser, 55, of Deal, Kent, had never heard of the super-strong painkiller – 50 times more deadly than heroin – when her 18-year-old skateboard-mad son Robert died of a fentanyl overdose in 2016.
Now, she is horrified by the thought of the substance being sold wholesale in the UK.
Michelle said: “Just three grains of it can kill you.
“Robert and his friends were given a double-wrapped parcel of fentanyl from a dealer for free when they bought cannabis.
“One of his friends later told me they tried a tiny bit the night before Robert died and they were all sick.
“The rest of it was found in Robert’s bedroom unused, so I don’t know if it got on his fingers and then into his mouth, but it shows just how lethal it can be.”
Wraps for a fiver
Michelle Fraser had never heard of the drug until son Robert’s death[/caption]
Michelle and Robert had a close bond[/caption]
Michelle and her MP Charlie Elphicke lobbied for tougher laws against fentanyl dealers and, when the Crown Prosecution Service issued guidance on the drug, it warned as little as two micrograms can be fatal.
Michelle said: “It’s so hazardous that scientists who work with it wear bio suits.
“When you look at those pictures of addicts in America, it’s horrifying.
“The problem is that so many kids take drugs now. In my day, drug users were dirty, smelly people who injected in secret, but now drugs are so mainstream and youngsters take them at parties all the time.
“My generation believed that drugs were expensive but now they’re not. If your child asks you for £5 for a meal deal, you don’t think twice about giving it to them, but the reality is they could be spending that on a cheap pill or wrap that contains this terrible drug.”
Deadly outbreaks
Fentanyl is a man-made painkiller that was behind the deaths of over 74,000 Americans in 2023, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.
It is frequently mixed with other drugs to make them more potent.
Compared to the US, Britain has remained shielded from such an epidemic, but has seen two major outbreaks of fentanyl use.
In 2017, 75 people died using the opioid and the National Crime Agency – Britain’s version of the FBI – said most of those who died were young men in Yorkshire, Humberside and Cleveland.
Last year, 38 prisoners collapsed at Deerbolt prison in Co Durham after taking a mix of fentanyl and spice.
Robert died after being given a drug wrap containing the lethal drug[/caption]
Makeshift tent towns have sprouted up in California where users openly smoke fentanyl[/caption]
Before US President Donald Trump recently imposed long-anticipated tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, he cited the countries’ failure to stop the export of chemicals used to produce the drug.
It has left cartels hunting for new routes to flog the drug.
And European authorities are already seeing signs that organised crime groups are looking to smuggle in fentanyl.
Italian secret services say the powerful Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta mafia is already testing the market.
Government official Alfredo Mantovano said: “We must not be caught unprepared.
“There are no borders, we must roll up our hands on several fronts; health, security and information.”
Last March, cops in Spain discovered fentanyl during a bust on a makeshift drug lab in south Madrid.
It ended in the arrests of four Colombian nationals – three men and a woman.
Now the drug could end up on our shores as cartels exploit existing cocaine trafficking routes.
What is fentanyl?
Some of the world’s biggest celebrities have been killed by fentanyl.
Singer Prince, rapper Coolio, The Wire actor Michael K Williams and Ariana Grande’s ex Mac Miller are among those who died after taking drug concoctions which contained the opioid.
Fentanyl is about 50 times more powerful than heroin and is a prescription drug used to treat severe pain, similar to morphine.
The illegal version is mainly made in underground drug labs and sold as a powder or pill.
Drug dealers mix it with other substances such as heroin, coke and MDMA because it’s cheap to buy.
Victims often have no idea that their drug has been cut with fentanyl and a tiny amount can kill.
An overdose causes the user’s breathing to slow down or stop, limiting the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain, leading to coma, brain damage or death.
An overdose can be treated with medical nasal spray called naloxone, which is often carried by paramedics.
Tony D’Agostino, director of TD Consultantly and COCA training, said: “There have been multiple red flags.
“Spanish and Belgian authorities have intercepted shipments where fentanyl was being trafficked alongside other drugs, indicating that cartels are experimenting with smuggling it into Europe.
“America has been putting significant diplomatic pressure on China to curb the drug’s production and the export of chemicals used to make fentanyl
“If China enforces stricter controls, cartels will likely adapt by sourcing chemicals through alternative routes
“If they ramp up production but face obstacles in smuggling fentanyl into the US, they may also look to offload surplus supply into new markets – including the UK and Europe.”