Two Texans died less than three months apart after ingesting pills laced with a synthetic opioid that is far deadlier than fentanyl. Lucci Reyes-McCallister, 22, passed away in January after taking a pill labeled as Xanax, but laced with a newer form of nitazene called N-pyrrolidino protonitazene. The young man’s friend, Hunter Clement, 21, died from the same synthetic opioid months later, the New York Post reported.
According to the report, nitazenes are produced in Chinese labs and have entered the United States through Mexican cartels. Nitazenes are between five and 43 times stronger than fentanyl.
Former acting Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Derek Maltz told the Post, “As America is just now really starting to talk about fentanyl, we have now seen all these other substances that are popping up everywhere, and they’re coming out of these labs in China.” He went on to explain that educational programs must be implemented to raise awareness of the opioid’s presence.
A 2024 report from the DEA found that the shift from plant-based drugs to synthetic drugs has “resulted in the most dangerous and deadly drug crisis the United States has ever faced.”
“These synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine, are responsible for nearly all of the fatal drug poisonings in our nation,” the report explained.
Another synthetic opioid, carfentanil, is about 100 times stronger than fentanyl. The drug is increasingly found mixed with other narcotics, such as cocaine and methamphetamine. “Although rare, deaths with carfentanil detected increased approximately sevenfold, from 29 during January–June 2023 to 238 during January–June 2024; 37 states reported carfentanil detection,” a CDC report read.
