Drug trafficking

Painkiller fentanyl linked to six deaths and numerous overdoses in Sacramento area

A powerful painkiller that can be fatal even in small doses is the latest front in a nationwide epidemic of street drug abuse, recently becoming the prime suspect in a rash of overdoses that killed six people in less than a week in Sacramento County.

Experts say the rise of fentanyl is fueled by widespread prescription drug abuse that claims thousands of lives each year. Since 1999, more than 165,000 people in the U.S. have died of causes related to painkiller use.

Once centered on the East Coast, use of the drug now seems to be spreading west, probably through Mexican drug cartels, medical and law enforcement officials said.

“This is just another face of the opioid epidemic,” said Dr. Caleb Alexander, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness.