Dangerous 'gray death' drug has already hit Houston streets

Experts say the super drug looks like small chunks of concrete and is 10,000 times more potent than morphine.

Author: Marcelino Benito (KHOU)
Published: 10:06 PM CST February 9, 2020
Updated: 5:17 PM CST February 10, 2020



HOUSTON — The Drug Enforcement Administration is alerting the public about a dangerous drug known as "gray death."

"It's like playing Russian Roulette," said DEA Special Agent In Charge Sammy Parks. "You're putting your lives in these drug dealers hands."

Gray death is a new super drug that looks like small chunks of concrete but can be powder-like too. It's made of heroin, fentanyl and other deadly opioids.

The mix makes it even more dangerous for users. 


"This drug is being made in clandestine labs by someone with no chemistry background, no oversight, no rhyme or reason to what they're putting in this drug," Parks said.

Gray death is 10,000 times more potent than morphine. The DEA is warning folks across the country after law enforcement in Louisiana discovered it just last week. Law enforcement in Houston said it's already in the city.

"We believe gray death is being produced here, it is being made," Parks said. "It is localized."

Last May, the DEA confiscated 170 grams of gray death in Houston. Now, the DEA wants to contain it.


"We don't want it to gain any momentum," Parks said. "The last thing we want is for the drug to get into our schools or even local universities."


The DEA is targeting those producing and distributing the gray death. They're selling it for about $20 a hit. But experts warn even a tiny amount can kill.

"That's who we want to identify and that's who we want to arrest and ultimately prosecute," Parks said.

The DEA warns anyone who may come across this drug to definitely not touch it. Instead, call law enforcement right away. They are trained on exactly how to safely remove it.


LOUISIANA


Feds call killer new drug gray death “A drug dealer’s depraved attempt at chemistry”

by: Deon Guillory

Posted: Feb 14, 2020 / 09:30 AM CST / Updated: Feb 14, 2020 / 11:00 AM CST



BATON ROUGE, La. (LOCAL 33/FOX 44) 
Federal agents are warning you about a deadly drug that is new to Louisiana.

This light gray, concrete like substance is a killer.


“A drug dealer’s depraved attempt at chemistry,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley said.


It is called gray death. It’s an opioid cocktail first seen in 2017. It is made up of heroin, fentanyl and another synthetic drug known on the streets as pink or euphor. Byerley said it’s so dangerous, it’s lethal to the touch and deadly if it becomes airborne.

Byerley added, “If someone has overdosed on the gray death, they need multiple doses of the narcan or the naloxone to be revived because it’s that potent.”

Agents said I-12 and I-10 are major corridors for drugs and although gray death has not been seen in the Baton Rouge area, it is in Louisiana.




St. Mary Parish deputies said the drug was found earlier this month after two arrests. The drug was also found last week after Eunice police said they arrested a man.

Byerley said law enforcement officers on the local level are working with the DEA task force to keep this drug off the streets.

“The people that are making this stuff. They don’t care about you. They don’t care about your family. They don’t care about our community. They care about one thing and that’s making profit,” Byerley said.

He explained that people buying the drug are opioid addicts who use heroin on a regular basis.

Law enforcement officials have been warned to use extreme caution and wear personal protective equipment when handling any unknown synthetic opioid. Some reports state that even protective gloves may not be enough. An officer in Ohio recently accidentally overdosed on gray death when he touched the drug during an arrest.