Federal agents at a Chicago airport seized 18 pounds of an animal sedative commonly mixed with opioids like fentanyl and heroin.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the drug known as Xylazine, or commonly known as “tranq,” was seized at an air cargo facility in Chicago earlier this month.
The three shipments of the drug had arrived from China in early April, and were set to be delivered to residences in Cleveland and Philadelphia, according to authorities.
“The work of our officers has been incredible and their dedication to CBP’s enforcement mission is evident when you look at these deadly illicit substance seizures,” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operation, Chicago Field Office. “Drug traffickers are persistent in their attempts to smuggle sedatives such as xylazine into the United States, however, through our hard work and vigilance we will continue to intercept these dangerous substances at our port of entry before they can harm our communities.”
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Xylazine can “slow breathing, heart rate and blood pressure to dangerously low levels” if ingested in sufficient quantities.
More worryingly, officials warn that Xylazine is not an opioid, and therefore patients experiencing an overdose of the drug will not respond to Narcan. There is no known antidote to the drug, according to the NIDA.
Officials do still urge the use of Narcan in situations where Xylazine overdose is suspected, as it is frequently mixed with other opioids that do respond to the substance.
According to the CDC, parts of the mid-Atlantic including Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland have been especially hard-hit by overdose deaths in recent years.
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