Boulder police issue warning about fentanyl following 5 overdoses in 36 hours

BOULDER, Colo. (KKTV) - Boulder police are warning the public following a string of drug overdoses in the span of just 36 hours.

Police say all of the overdoses are suspected to be fentanyl public and want to alert citizens that there could be either a new strain or tainted strain of the drug circulating on the streets.

Three of the overdoses happened on Tuesday, with two occurring just 20 minutes apart. In at least two of those cases, the victim was found unconscious and not breathing but was able to be revived with Narcan.

Officers responded to two more overdoses Wednesday, also administering Narcan both times.

“We are currently investigating this unusually high number of overdoses and asking for the public’s help with any information,” the police department said in a social media post.

Police are asking anyone with information on who might be supplying the drug in Boulder to call 303-441-3333.

Fentanyl has been a scourge on communities across the country, and Colorado has not been immune to the issue. A Pueblo Police Department spokesperson told 11 News last month that it was showing up frequently on the black market, while in Colorado Springs, more than 4,000 fentanyl pills were seized from a home in a single bust in late March.

Fentanyl was originally intended for pain management treatment of cancer patients. It is still used by doctors to control severe pain -- but has also found a home among street drugs. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, it’s 80-100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.

More on the Boulder case can be found below:

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