(BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ) – The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is sounding the alarm over the discovery of a new drug cocktail that has left one of their officers critically sick.
It is a combination of the lethal narcotic fentanyl and the animal tranquilizer Xylazine.
Charles May was just doing his job as an ALEA Senior Trooper when he came into touch with the substance.
In May, Trooper May was taking someone to the Macon County jail when that person got sick. The police and fire departments were called to the scene to help, and that’s where Trooper May got sick. He was taken to a hospital in Opelika, and ALEA says that since then, his health has been bad.
According to ALEA, they are seeing more and more cases of fentanyl and xylazine being mixed, and they want to share Trooper May’s experience to show the public how fatal it can be.
“We’re very fortunate to have one of our troopers still with us today,” says ALEA Public Affairs Coordinator Reginal King. “We’re encouraging everyone, if you think you’ve been exposed, call 911 or contact emergency personnel as soon as possible.”
Trooper May’s family has set up a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses.
Trooper Charles May was exposed to a Fentanyl/ Xylazine mixture while administering Narcan to someone. He has been hospitalized twice with respiratory failure since initially being released from the hospital. During his last hospitalization he was diagnosed with Tracheobronchomalacia (collapsing of the trachea). Charles and his wife Ashley will have to travel to Boston for treatment and could be there for up to 2 months. They will have the expense of living in Boston while still having their regular expenses at home. Ashley has not been able to work as much due to Dr appointments and this will be further impacted by the trip to Boston. Any help will be deeply appreciated. They also request prayers.
“I think at the national level we’ve seen it in 48 out of the 50 states,” says Bradford Byerley, who’s the Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s New Orleans Field Division, which is responsible for 18 offices across the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas.
“Whatever they can mix with that fentanyl, a filler to provide that extra high, they’re doing that,” Byerley says.
Xylazine is not only being mixed with fentanyl.
“It can be injected, it can be swallowed, smoked, or snorted. It’s also being mixed with other drugs besides fentanyl like cocaine and heroin,” says King.
ALEA says they’ve seen the mixture in both powder and liquid forms. They’ve also seen the gruesome side effects.
“Individuals who choose to ingest mixtures containing this drug, they can develop severe wounds that can lead to the rotting of human tissue which can ultimately lead to amputation,” says King.
Survival is also bleak when it comes to tranquilizer-laced opioids.
“One of the most alarming issues about this drug is it is not an opioid now having said that, the drug Narcan which is designed to reverse the effects will not work on drugs containing xylazine.”
ALEA says education will be key in cutting down on this increase of Xylazine mixtures. They say even though naloxone is ineffective against tranquilizers, they do still recommend administering it if someone appears to be suffering from drug poisoning.
