Four people were rushed to a hospital after overdosing on a powerful synthetic opioid Tuesday night in Council Bluffs. On July 17, state officials issued a public warning that tablets of synthetic fentanyl were being sold illegally in the state. It’s 40 to 50 times stronger than heroin.
Council Bluffs Police Sergeant Robert Christensen says the drug is so dangerous, people can be overcome just touching the packaging or inhaling around an open bottle of the pills.
“I would recommend that anybody who comes upon a scene that they feel fentanyl is being used, that they automatically call 911,” Christensen says.
Three of the four victims were found unconscious in the parking lot of a Council Bluffs convenience store and the fourth was found nearby. Sergeant Christensen says anyone who comes upon the scene of a suspected overdose should be careful.
“Not to handle anything as far as packaging materials or drug-related items, just because of it being so lethal,” Christensen says.
(Reporting by Karla James)