Zombie drug threatens US as deadly fentanyl mix crosses southern border
MacArthur Park grapples with addiction crisis in Westlake District (Illustrtive photo: Getty Images)
The veterinary tranquilizer xylazine, known as the "zombie drug," is increasingly being smuggled into the United States through the southern border and used in combination with fentanyl, reports Fox News.
Dr. Joseph Friedman, who has studied xylazine for many years, stated that the substance is no longer just stolen from veterinary clinics, as it was in the 2010s on the US East Coast, but is now being manufactured abroad and smuggled into the country.
"There’s evidence of it being imported into the US through the southern border, as well as cases of diversion from domestic veterinary supplies," Friedman said.
According to his recent study published in January, xylazine is actively used in Tijuana and southern California. "Our research showed it being mixed with fentanyl in Tijuana, Mexico, and it is also present in San Diego and southern California more broadly," he noted.
Drug resistant to treatment
Xylazine induces a "zombie-like" state, constricts blood vessels, limits oxygen flow, and causes flesh to rot. The substance is particularly dangerous because it does not respond to naloxone - the medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. Moreover, in 98% of cases, xylazine is detected alongside fentanyl.
"It’s almost always used with fentanyl to enhance its effect, almost never on its own," Friedman said. According to his earlier 2022 study, the share of overdose deaths involving xylazine rose from 3.6% in 2015 to 6.7% in 2020.
Last year, one of the Sinaloa Cartel’s founders, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, and El Chapo’s son were arrested in the United States. They were accused of trafficking large quantities of fentanyl - the same drug most often mixed with xylazine - into the US.
In January, Donald Trump accused Mexico and Canada of failing to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States and proposed a 25% tariff on imports from both countries.
Then, in February, he introduced an even harsher measure - calling for the death penalty for drug trafficking, stressing that only extreme action can stop the spread of such deadly substances.
