Drug more dangerous than fentanyl discovered in Pima County
Carfentanil is 100 times stronger than fentanyl and could lead to more overdoses deaths in our community
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - Amidst the ongoing fight against fentanyl in Pima County, another stronger and deadlier drug is now making its rounds.
Carfentanil sounds very similar to fentanyl, and both are synthetic opioids. But in terms of overdose, carfentanil is 100 times more dangerous.
The Tucson Police Department knows the fake little blue pills all too well. But a week ago, when they seized what looked like fentanyl, they weren’t expecting what they actually turned out to be.
“It’s 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl,” TPD Lieutenant Mark Jimenez said of carfentanil.
Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid that has made its way to Tucson.
“The possibility is there for this to be even scarier than fentanyl but it’s still new to us,” Jimenez said.
In order to get a better handle on what exactly carfentanil is, 13 News spoke with Tab Hoyt of Cottonwood, a rehabilitation center in Tucson. He said the drug was always a risk of showing up in southern Arizona, but he wasn’t expecting it to arrive so quickly.
“I don’t even know how to quantify the risk, it’s so high,” Hoyt said. “You’re probably looking at something that’s 4,000 times the potency of heroin.”
He said Naloxone, or Narcan, is the same life-saving drug you’d need to use to help someone going through a carfentanil or fentanyl overdose… but be ready to use a lot more.
“It’s more problematic,” Hoyt said. “A person thinks he’s got a rescue dose in his pocket that someone could use for an overdose, but one’s not going to be enough.”
It’s a massive shift that the TPD is going to have to figure out.
“Everybody knows family and friends who have been affected by fentanyl in a negative and tragic way, so just seeing this come in and being much more potent, I think it is definitely a cause for concern,” Jimenez said.
However, they said their work against fentanyl in the area has given them a roadmap to help prevent as much harm as possible going forward.
“It’s going to be more of the same – making sure that people out there know how dangerous these drugs are and the enforcement interdiction with planes, trains, freeways, parcels,” Jimenez said. “All of that’s going to be the same.”
Narcan is available to anyone in pharmacies in Arizona without needing a prescription. You can find information locations to get it for free HERE.
Be sure to subscribe to the 13 News YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@13newskold
Copyright 2025 13 News. All rights reserved.