Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Warns Of Deadly Drug Fentanyl

OCEAN COUNTY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A narcotic up to 50 times more powerful than heroin has begun to appear on the streets of New Jersey, leading to major concerns.

As WCBS 880's Jim Smith reported, lurking in the underground heroin market is a drug called fentanyl.

"Really dangerous stuff when you combine that with heroin, it's almost a death sentence," said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Della Fave said they see fentanyl rear its ugly head every once in a while as dealers cut it in with heroin.

Addicts never know when the next hit will be lethal. So this year, Della Fave said the prosecutor's strategy is to intervene at the emergency room.

"Break the cycle of addiction. Start getting people into rehab. Start getting people to seek help," Della Fave said.

According to Della Fave, Ocean County saw a total of 80 people die last year from drug overdoses. Another 126 had to be revived with the antidote Narcan.

"By no means is the crisis over," Della Fave said.

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