NEW CASTLE, Del. (AP) - Delaware officials say there have been a total of six overdose deaths related to fentanyl-laced heroin this year.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announced Friday that toxicology reports confirm the fentanyl-laced heroin overdose deaths of four men and two women ranging in age from 28 to 58. The deaths occurred over a period of about two weeks in March and April in New Castle and Sussex counties.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller, is mixed with heroin to produce a stronger high. Heroin laced with fentanyl has been blamed for dozens of deaths around the country, including 28 in Philadelphia in March and April.
During a 2006 outbreak of similar overdoses, officials say there were seven deaths in Delaware.