Los Angeles officials are raising alarm bells as the use of a dangerous street drug, known as “tranq” or xylazine, reaches epidemic proportions. This drug, originally intended as an animal tranquilizer, has found its way into the hands of addicts who often mix it with substances like heroin and fentanyl, leading to horrific consequences.
Reports indicate that the drug can cause the flesh of users to rot away, resulting in grotesque disfigurement.
Bill Bodner, a special agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), spoke with KTLA about the shocking effects of the drug.
“It’s really gruesomely disfiguring people,” he said. “It’s much more likely to stop someone from breathing, and the things that come along with xylazine, it’s a vasoconstrictor. So when you’re injecting it, it’s actually reducing the blood circulation.”
Authorities in Los Angeles are now scrambling to track the spread of xylazine as its use skyrockets. Complicating matters is the fact that the drug itself is not illegal, making it difficult to regulate. The LA County Sheriff’s Office has initiated a program to monitor the prevalence of the substance. Since mid-April, crime lab analysts have been documenting instances where xylazine is detected in seized drugs.
“In the greater Los Angeles area, we are seeing xylazine as an additive within fake fentanyl pills,” stated Nicole Nishida, a spokesperson for the DEA LA Field Division. “While the numbers are relatively low in our community compared to elsewhere in the United States, the presence of xylazine is now becoming more frequent and the trend is concerning.”
Cary Quashen, an addiction expert also expressed his deep concern regarding the current situation. “We had a woman come in and her sister had passed away from a fentanyl overdose,” he shared. “But not only was it a fentanyl overdose, her skin was starting to rot, the muscles on her leg and her arm. So that’s a sure sign of xylazine.”
Unfortunately, Los Angeles is not the only city grappling with this nightmarish drug. In March, the DEA issued an urgent public safety warning, revealing that xylazine is being used as a cheap cutting agent for fentanyl and has spread to 48 states. New York, in particular, has experienced dozens of deaths linked to this deadly “zombie drug,” according to US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
