Fentanyl in Costa Rica
This week a fentanyl network was dismantled in Costa Rica. Learn about this new drug that is alerting everyone.
On Tuesday, November 22, a fentanyl production and trafficking organization was dismantled in Costa Rica. This organization is the first to be dismantled in the Central American region.
During the operation, which was carried out together with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), three houses were raided in San José, four people were arrested and 1,100 doses were seized.
The drug was produced in the form of paracetamol and fluorofentanyl pills. These were sold incognito in different bars in the city.
What is fentanyl?
Fentanyl, or as it is popularly called the “zombie drug,” is a strong synthetic opioid similar to morphine, but 50 to 100 times more potent.
Actually, it is a drug that can be prescribed by a doctor in cases where the patient is in severe pain, especially after a surgical operation. On these occasions, fentanyl is provided in injectable, patch or tablet form.
Illegally consumed fentanyl, on the other hand, is manufactured in laboratories. Then, it is often sold in powder form, poured in drops on blotting paper, in eye drop containers, in nasal sprays or in pills that simulate prescription opioids. On top of that, some traffickers mix this substance with other drugs such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.
What are its effects?
The drug travels through the body via the bloodstream, reaches the central nervous system and attacks the opiate receptors and slows them down. This causes disengagement, sedation, lethargy and a feeling of well-being.
According to experts, the sense of well-being and euphoria provided by fentanyl can lead to breathing problems, cardiac arrest and death if more than two milligrams are consumed. It can also cause hypoxia, which occurs when the brain does not get enough oxygen.
In the world
Currently, fentanyl has become popular in the United States and has begun to be trafficked in countries such as Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Spain.
The presence of fentanyl in Costa Rica has set off alarms among many people in the population.
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