ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Fifteen people were arrested after a drug trafficking organization selling fentanyl cut with the animal tranquilizer xylazine was dismantled, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
The people arrested are now facing charges in what’s known as Operation Moscow Mule.
If convicted, the ringleader, Jazzmeen Montanez, could spend up to 25 years in prison.
Sheriff John Mina said that xylazine is “emerging as a very real public health threat,” and that about 80% of the fentanyl that drug agents have seized or bought undercover contain what “tranq,” its street term. It is also known as the “Zombie drug.”
Xylazine is not approved for use in people, and it causes dangerously low blood pressure and terrible flesh wounds, according to the sheriff’s office. The drug is intended for use on animals during surgeries.
READ: 2nd man dies after shooting outside Orange County banquet hall
The combination of fentanyl and xylazine is even deadlier than fentanyl alone since it does not respond to Narcan, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Xylazine is here to stay; it’s not a fad,” Capt. Darryl Blanford said. “This is a growing trend that will probably be here for a few years.”
This browser does not support the video element.
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.