Drug trafficking 

Powerful opioid fentanyl blamed for ‘alarming’ spike in drug overdoses

 Federal drug enforcement officials on Wednesday issued a nationwide alert about the dangers of fentanyl, a powerful opioid often used to increase the potency of heroin and blamed for an “alarming” spike in deadly overdoses.

Fentanyl, a prescription drug used as an anesthetic and pain reliever for terminally ill patients, is being illegally produced in underground drug labs for street narcotics, said Barbara Carreno, spokeswoman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.