The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) reports that 60 deaths in the UK since December are linked to fentanyl, an opiate that is 50 times more potent than heroin. Four men were charged with distributing fentanyl through the Shadow Network.
One of them, Kyle Enos, 25, of Wales, was charged with importing, supplying and exporting class A drugs. He was detained in May.
In April, three men were arrested and charged with having distributed Class A drugs in Leeds, England.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate and is much more potent than heroin. The real danger of this drug is the possible overdose and the fact that distributors sell the drug as if it were something else. Only 0.002 grams of fentanyl can be fatal.
Fentanyl was synthesized in the 1960s and is widely used in medicine for pain control and for general anesthesia.
By 2014, 20,000 people died in the United States due to drug overdose. In the European Union addiction is also on the rise, resulting in a high number of fentanyl-related deaths.
According to post-mortem toxicology results, since December 2016, 60 people in the UK died as a result of taking fentanyl or drugs with similar synthetic opiates.
The National Crime Agency advised drug users that some drug traffickers may mix heroin with fentanyl and carfentanil.
"The danger of synthetic opiates is not new, but since December 2016 we have seen an increase in fentanyl and carfentanil-related deaths," said Ian Cruxton, deputy director of the NCA.
"NCA is working with partners from both UK and abroad to take action against the drug dealers who are playing Russian roulette with the lives of customers, mixing synthetic opiates with heroin and other natural drugs," he added.
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