'Up to 100 times more potent than fentanyl': Deadly opioid discovered in NYC

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- The New York-based Deputy Director of the National Drug Early Warning System says it was only a matter of time before the deadly synthetic opioid “nitazene” found its way to the New York Metro region, specifically, a recent Long Island federal DEA drug bust.

"We conduct surveillance research to track trends. Some are around 80 times more potent than fentanyl," said Dep. Director Dr. Joseph Palamar.

DEA New York Field Office Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino says once illegal drug dealers got their hands on the publicly available formula, its use began to spread.

"Originally developed in the 1950s as a painkiller, it was never placed into medical use due to the fact that it was too powerful and too addictive. These nitazenes are being mixed into a number of diff