Powerful synthetic drug fentanyl played a role in Quinhagak overdoses, troopers say

Four overdoses — one fatal — in a Southwest Alaska village in mid-August involved heroin mixed with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, increasingly being seen nationally, troopers said Friday.

The heroin seized in Quinhagak, with a population of about 700, contained more fentanyl than heroin – the first time the Alaska State Crime Lab has seen a batch like it, the Alaska State Troopers said.

"The news is not welcome as this trend is sweeping across the country," troopers wrote.

http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/rural-alaska/2016/08/26/powerful-synthetic-drug-fentanyl-played-a-role-in-quinhagak-overdoses-troopers-say/