Have you noticed that lately in the media they have been talking about a growing crisis regarding a drug called Fentanyl? You’re probably asking yourself, what is it? Well, this drug was ruled the cause of death of musician Prince and now it seems that it has risen in popularity. Fentanyl is a very dangerous drug similar to morphine but 50-100 times more powerful. Very small amounts of this drug can kill! Raiding a Fentanyl location requires the use of hazmat uniforms due to a fear of skin absorption. Recently, there was a large amount of Fentanyl found during a drug raid in Lubbock, Texas.
The rise in Fentanyl the past couple of years is due to clandestine labs in China directly providing the drug to the US. The feds are having a tough time tracing the kingpin because purchases are usually done on the black web. Chinese suppliers are providing raw Fentanyl and the machinery necessary for the assembly line production of the drug. As a result of this direct connect, there has been a rapid rise of fatal overdoses in the US and Canada. Street names for the drug include Apache, China girl, China white, dance fever, friend, goodfella, jackpot, murder 8, TNT and Tango and Cash. Fentanyl can be found as a pill or a liquid.
If charged a federal felony for Fentanyl, it is considered a schedule II narcotic according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. If you are caught trafficking 40-399 grams, you could be facing not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years if you are a first time offender. If death or serious bodily injury resulted from the sale of this drug, the punishment is not less than 20 years or more than life. Also, a fine of not more than $5 million for an individual and $25 million for a group can be assessed. If charged on a state level, it is classified as a penalty group 1 drug with the punishment starting as a state jail felony and can go up to first-degree felony depending on the amount.
As you can see, the punishment for this drug is severe. The feds are cracking down and are not playing around. Legislation all across the country is trying to increase penalties for felony possession and sale of Fentanyl. As an increase in deaths rise so will the push for harsher penalties. It seems like every couple of years a new drug is “manufactured” and unfortunately this is the new drug. Be careful people.