'Pink Death': Synthetic Opioid Returns To Twin Cities
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A deadly, synthetic drug that killed nearly 50 people a few years ago may now be on the streets of the Twin Cities.
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, U-4770 is an imminent threat to public health and safety.
Reg Chapman show us why those on the front lines believe the drug is making the rounds around the metro again.
Stephanie Devich, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, says she has seen "Pink Death" in the Twin Cities before.
"U-47700 is what the name of it technically is. We call it Pink Death," Devich said. "We saw it in June where Pink came through. It was a pinkish-colored powdered form of heroin sold as heroin. And when we were able to get out hands on it, some underground people, South Side Syringe Exchange Harm Reduction Services, they were able to get their hands on it, test it with fentanyl test strips."
The pink powder was confirmed to be mixed with fentanyl, a drug that is 100-times-more potent than morphine.
"We've never seen it be anything else. When the drug is pink, that's what the confirmations were back in 2016 and 2017," Devich said.
She put this notice out where she works, Vahalla Place, which is the state's largest distributor of Narcan, aka naloxone.
"Even at the clinic yesterday when I put out this information, people were taking more naloxone kits than they ever had before. People were coming forward and letting me know the drug I just purchased yesterday was pink in color," Devich said.
Valhalla Place tracks 911 calls.
"In the past 72 hours, so Tuesday through yesterday, 42 overdoses called in to 911, Hennepin County alone," She said.
Devich confirms it has taken as many as six doses of Narcan to bring users of Pink Death back to life. She has reported her finding to the state's Opioid Treatment Authority, but felt she had to speak out due to the number of reported overdoses.
"There is something going on out there, we don't know exactly what it is, but we need to make sure everybody is safe or safer," Devich said.
Valhalla Place employees have spent the past 48 hours flooding the area with Narcan kits.
