A fatal dose of Fentanyl compared to a penny according to the DEA. Police suspect Fentanyl laced into heroin was to blame for two fatal overdoses in Norwich recently. (Photo from dea.gov)

NORWICH – In less than a day six City of Norwich residents suffered suspected heroin overdoses laced with Fentanyl, with two people dying at the scenes and four others being rushed to local emergency rooms in critical condition.

“Six death, near-death, events in two days, in such a small community, is shocking. It is shocking,” said Norwich Police Chief Reuben Roach Tuesday morning.

Roach said without the emergency use of Narcan by responders more would have died. The nasal drug is able to reverse otherwise fatal drug overdoses within moments and was recently approved for over-the-counter sale by the FDA.

He said the surviving victims were stabilizing Tuesday morning in the hospital.

“There is a preliminary investigation, our understanding is there was a load of heroin that came in from Syracuse, it was heavily tainted with what we believe to be Fentanyl at this time. We are sending it out for further testing. Police and the Norwich Fire Department responded and they administered Narcan in two different homes, and as it stands right now we have two deceased and four in critical condition that looked like they weren't going to make it,” said the police chief.

Roach said the victim's were “between 20 and early 50s years of age.” He said they had a mixed employment background, all were permanent Norwich residents with local family also living with them or residing in the area. Police were in the process of contacting them.

Monday evening police were called to a residence on East Main Street and discovered a female in her 40s who had passed away from a suspected overdose. They found another person in the home in “very critical condition,” said Roach.

Then at 4 a.m., Tuesday, on Walnut Street, “Norwich Police Officers were called to an apartment where four individuals were located. One was deceased and three were in critical condition,” he said.

According to the chief, for the last six months or so the NPD and NFD are using Narcan on a daily basis.

“We are not seeing overdoses go down. In fact, we are seeing them spike. We see an increase of overdoses and then you see an increase of death as well,” said Roach. “Our officers are trained in the use of Narcan and we have used quite a bit this year so far.”

Roach urged people to, “Be trained in the use of Narcan. Get Narcan if you have a loved one or if you have your own addiction issues. Contact 911 immediately if you see someone under the influence of a narcotic or if someone looks like they may be overdosing.”

A criminal investigation is underway.

“Early preliminary investigation indicates the drugs potentially came out of the Syracuse area. We have close working relationships with the law enforcement in those areas as well as the DEA and we are working closely with the Chenango County District Attorney's Office,” said Roach.

“The Fentanyl is being laced into heroin, and working closely with other agencies we have heard it is mainly coming from the southern border,” he said.

“We can't arrest our way out of this, there has to be national change,” he said.

What is Fentanyl?

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Fentanyl is a narcotic opioid.

Legal access to the drug is limited to doctors and medical oversight for select purposes.

The DEA website, DEA.gov, states,“Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic (pain relief) and anesthetic. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic.”

Fentanyl can be, “...snorted/sniffed, smoked, [taken] orally by pill or tablet, spiked onto blotter paper, patches, sold alone or in combination with heroin and other substances, has been identified in fake pills, mimicking pharmaceutical drugs such as oxycodone,” stated the DEA.

It further reported, “Overdose may result in stupor, changes in pupillary size, cold and clammy skin, cyanosis, coma, and respiratory failure leading to death. The presence of triad of symptoms such as coma, pinpoint pupils, and respiratory depression are strongly suggestive of opioid poisoning.”