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Weapons-grade chemical carfentanil surges as dangerous substitute for fentanyl
DEA labs found carfentanil in 1,400 U.S. drug seizures in 2025, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted 413 related deaths in 2024.
- Michael Nalewaja, a 36-year-old electrician from Alaska, died after unknowingly taking a lethal mix of fentanyl and carfentanil, possibly mistaking it for cocaine.
- Carfentanil is a weapons-grade chemical that is 10,000 times stronger than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl, causing numerous deaths across the U.S.
- DEA labs found carfentanil in 1,400 drug seizures in 2025, a sharp increase from 145 in 2023 and 54 in 2022.
- Following Michael Nalewaja's death, his mother held a town hall in El Dorado Hills, California, with local officials and other grieving mothers.
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A chemical 100 times stronger than fentanyl is fueling US overdoses
FILE: A Hazardous Materials technician removes his mask after leaving the scene of an overdose that killed two people in Lawrence, MA on Jul. 17, 2017. Authorities alerted the specialized team because they suspected the presence of carfentanil in the residence (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) A chemical relative of fentanyl so toxic it was once developed as a weapon is resurging in the U.S. Carfentanil, which is 100 t…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources38
Leaning Left15Leaning Right3Center17Last UpdatedBias Distribution48% Center
Bias Distribution
- 48% of the sources are Center
48% Center
L 43%
C 48%
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