Potent New Form Of Fentanyl ID'd In Georgia Mass Overdoses: ICYMI

ATLANTA, GA -- State officials investigating an altered form of fentanyl found in a street drug that has been linked to mass overdoses -- some fatal -- said this week that they have identified a previously unknown substance in the pills. Analysts with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Lab said the substance is so foreign that it is not even known how humans will be affected if it is consumed.

The GBI's Crime Lab said last week they needed more time to look into the substance, which has been linked to five deaths and more than 30 hospitalizations in parts of South and Middle Georgia.

The GBI announced late Tuesday that an analysis has confirmed that the pills contain a mixture of two synthetic opioids, cyclopropyl fentanyl and U-47700, which is nearly eight times stronger than morphine.

"Cyclopropyl fentanyl is a fentanyl analogue that is chemically similar to fentanyl," a news release from GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said. "It is unknown how the human body will react to this drug since it is not intended for human or veterinary use."

The GBI said ingestion of cyclopropyl fentanyl is uncharted territory. It "had not previously been seen in Georgia," the agency said.

5th Overdose Death May Be Linked To Fake Percocet: Georgia Officials

Both drugs are so potent that overdoses can occurr via inhalation or absorption through the skin. The substances -- even in the smallest quantities -- is extremely toxic, the GBI said.

Gov. Nathan Deal signed legislation into law that would ban both cyclopropyl fentanyl and U-47700 in the state. In December, Deal successfully petitioned to have naloxone, a drug used that counters the effects of opioids, be removed from the state’s list of illegal drugs.

Over a 48-hour period last week, hospitals in several Georgia cities, including Centerville, Perry, Macon and Warner Robins, reported overdoses -- and fatalities related to street drugs taken under the pretense that they were prescription drugs.

Read more: GBI Confirms Georgia's First 'Gray Death' Drug Fatality

Early reports indicate the culprit to be a street drug that the victims believed was Percocet. Miles said earlier in the week that first responders found people in various states of consciousness, including some not breathing.

Two men died last week in what authorities said were drug overdoses, as Patch reported. One man was found dead at the Post Chastain Apartments off Roswell Road, according to news reports. Drugs were also reportedly found at the scene of the apartment complex.

The other victim, a 37-year-old male from Sandy Springs, wasfound deceased June 9 by authorities at the AC Hotel on Wieuca Road.

Image Facebook / Bibbs County Sheriff's Office