Los Angeles, USA – The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced on November 21st that a man in Southern California has been charged with selling a synthetic opioid substance three times more potent than fentanyl, resulting in the death of a 22-year-old buyer.
Benjamin Anthony Collins, a 21-year-old man from Santa Clarita, in the northwest part of Los Angeles County, is facing a charge of selling Protonitazene, also known as Hydrochloride Proton Nitrogen, resulting in death.
Prosecutors stated that this may be the first fatal case involving this anesthetic drug in the United States.
Protonitazene is a synthetic opioid that has been gradually gaining popularity in the United States, Canada, and Europe over the past few years. Experts believe that the potency of this drug is several times that of fentanyl, with fentanyl being 50 times more potent than heroin.
Collins was arrested by federal authorities on November 18 and pleaded not guilty to the charge during his arraignment on the 20th. He is expected to stand trial on January 14 next year, with the judge ordering him to remain in custody without bail.
According to the federal indictment, Collins intentionally distributed Protonitazene pills to a 22-year-old man from Stevenson Ranch on April 19. The victim shortly after consumed these pills in the passenger seat of a car and quickly died. The man’s mother later found him dead in the car outside their home and called 911.
Prosecutors stated that Collins also planned to sell a large amount of Protonitazene to the victim in the future.
If convicted, Collins could face a minimum of 20 years in federal prison.
In December 2021, the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education issued a warning that the use of Protonitazene was increasing in the United States and Canada.
At that time, nine death cases in the United States were investigated and found to have Protonitazene in the victims’ blood, with six similar cases confirmed through other toxicology tests.
The center stated in the warning: “The toxicity of Protonitazene has not been thoroughly examined or reported, but recent associations of its use with deaths lead professionals to believe that this synthetic opioid still poses a risk of causing widespread harm and has raised concerns for public health.”
According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Protonitazene is classified as an illicit opioid substance that may come in powder or pill form. The drug’s potency surpasses that of fentanyl.
CDC mentions that Naloxone can effectively reverse the effects of the drug, but multiple doses may be required.