Overview

• El Paso County’s coroner identified carfentanil in a recent case, marking the county’s first detection without fentanyl present.
• Officials describe the drug as roughly 100 times stronger than fentanyl and warn it may produce false negatives on common immunoassays and fentanyl test strips.
• Authorities advise that naloxone can reverse overdoses involving carfentanil, though repeated or higher doses may be needed.
• The DEA seized 50,208 counterfeit pills in Centralia, Washington, that lab testing found contained carfentanil and acetaminophen, and arrested the driver.
• CDC data show detections in 37 states and deaths rising from 29 in early 2023 to 238 in early 2024, underscoring the drug’s expanding reach.