ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – A 20-year-old woman is dead after using what authorities say was tainted heroin last week in Franklin County.
Lieutenant Jason Grellner with the Narcotics Enforcement Unit says heroin laced with Fentanyl played a significant role in her death.
“It’s scary because naive users, those who are just trying heroin for the first time, could get a hold of some of this either adulated heroin with Fentanyl or a very strong Fentanyl and overdose immediately,” says Grellner.
Grellner adds that there have been many times that users will mix heroin with a muscle relaxant that affects the diaphragm and further restricts breathing.
“Heroin is one of those drugs that’s not forgiving,” says Grellner. “This is a drug that, because of the way it acts on receptors in the brain, suppresses breathing.”
The Missourian newspaper reports that four people suspected of using and trafficking heroin were busted on Thursday. Investigators believe that there is a link between the suspects and the tainted batch that led to the woman’s death.
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