Synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than fentanyl is discovered in Florida

A synthetic opioid described as 'fentanyl on steroids' was seized in a Florida drug bust, according to police.

West Palm Beach police confiscated $1.6 million worth of N-Desethyl Isotonitazene - known as ISO - during a raid, reported WPBF.

Authorities discovered the deadly drug in powder, pill and brick form while executing search warrants on a home and a storage unit earlier in July.

'[The substances] came back as 50 times more potent than normal fentanyl that we normally deal with,' Lt. Joe Herb said. 

'Fentanyl is normally very dangerous. Now, we're talking about 50 times stronger.'

West Palm Beach police confiscated $1.6 million worth of N-Desethyl Isotonitazene - known as ISO - during a raid

Lt. Joe Herb (pictured) said the drug tested 50 times more potent than normal fentanyl and he has never seen anything like it in his 34 years as a narcotics officer

Police said the only other time they heard of ISO being found before now was in Philadelphia.

One unidentified person has been arrested in connection with discovery. Herb said the drug is being sold on the streets of the Sunshine State and he is concerned it will lead to more overdoses.

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'This is scary. I've been a police officer for 34 years. I've been doing narcotics pretty much my entire career. This is scary,' Herb said.

'You breathe that stuff in, or you grab it and touch your eyes or grab your mouth or something of that nature; there's a big concern right now.'

In powder form, ISO can appear yellow, brown, or off-white in color, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Doctors told the local news station that ISO is a different compound than fentanyl, but both substances being found in other illegal drugs is concerning.

'As scary as it sounds, it's not surprising that that's where these synthetic opioids are going,' said internal medicine physician at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital Dr. Pedram Rad.

'This drug is actually about 60 to 70 years old. It was developed initially as a medication for pain control, and it was never approved by the FDA in the United States.'

Authorities discovered the deadly drug in powder, pill and brick form while executing search warrants on a home and a storage unit earlier in July

Doctors said that ISO is a different compound than fentanyl, but both substances being found in other illegal drugs is concerning

Medical experts advise taking anyone who may have ingested ISO to the hospital for treatment and to keep NARCAN on hand. 

'They have the potential to slow down the heart and respiration and can cause brain damage or people can die from it, so when you're using this on the street where it's not controlled, and you don't know what dose you're getting those are the things that can happen to you,' said Dr. Olayemi Osiyemi, an infectious disease doctor with St. Mary's Medical Center.

'The strength of these drugs could potentially put someone in a coma and kill them very quickly.' 

A recent CDC report found there were a record 107,941 deaths from overdoses in 2022, which is the most recent data available — the equivalent of 295 fatalities per day and up one percent on the year before. 

Fentanyl was the main force behind the surge — which is fatal in even in tiny doses — with the illicit drug behind nearly 70 percent of the fatalities. 

Provisional figures for 2023 suggest the epidemic is continuing to rise, with 110,640 fatalities estimated for the 12 months to October that year.