Northeast Ohio law enforcement warned of new drug even deadlier than fentanyl

LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - The opioid crisis was bad enough but now there’s a new drug hitting the streets that’s even deadlier than fentanyl.

The problem is, if someone overdoses, Narcan may not work.

Last week, law enforcement officers throughout Northeast Ohio recently received an alert notifying them to be on the lookout for something called “purple fentanyl”.

Reports of agencies seizing the drug have begun popping up all across the Midwest.

Unfortunately, users are being misled into believing that purple means pure.

“Supposedly it gets a higher, increased high,” said Major Heath Tester with the Special Operations and Drug Task Force at the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office .

Tester says dealers are cutting this new form of fentanyl with a local anesthetic.

“They’re mixing it