Synopsis of Prosecutor Coronato’s Senate Judiciary Committee Testimony

“Working with the New Jersey State Police, R.O.I.C. and the state police lab analysis, it now appears that more often than not the glassine packets being consumed by an Ocean County resident does not only contain heroin, but many other drugs.  Clearly these packets are a “cocktail” containing many other drugs such as cocaine, meth, fentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, caffeine and morphine.  The most deadly component now appears to be synthetic opioids.  Fentanyl now appears regularly in Ocean County as an additive to the heroin packet.  Fentanyl itself is 100 times more powerful than morphine.  We had a fourteen year old die already using fentanyl patches.

There is now acetyl fentanyl, which is more powerful than regular fentanyl; buccal fentanyl, which is fentanyl in tablet form; and W-18, which is another synthetic opioid allegedly 10,000 times stronger than morphine.

It is my belief that the continued overdose death total is related to the new “cocktails” that are contained in each “opiate packet”.  The individual/the body cannot handle the additives or the synthetic opiates contained therein.  A major concern is whether Narcan/naloxone as currently constituted will have a reversal effect on the synthetic opioid?  I am now exploring to see if we need to adapt/modify the use of Narcan to reflect the changes in the synthetics as they develop.

I look to Congress to take the lead in this “synthetic storm” and assist the law enforcement community and the health care community in addressing this issue.”

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