Overview

• Two Texas men, aged 21 and 22, died this year after ingesting counterfeit Xanax and Percocet pills laced with nitazene analogues up to 25 times more lethal than fentanyl.
• U.S. Customs and DEA officials report intercepting nitazene shipments from clandestine Chinese chemical suppliers multiple times a week at ports such as JFK.
• Harris County medical examiners do not include nitazenes in routine toxicology panels and only test for them when other causes of death remain unexplained.
• Emergency responders have administered multiple naloxone doses to reverse nitazene overdoses, highlighting gaps in the standard overdose treatment protocol.
• Families of the victims and health experts are urging expanded drug checking, wastewater surveillance and rapid public-health alerts to stem further fatalities.