According to police, heroin mixed with fentanyl is suspected of causing overdose

by Alex Hasenstab and KVAL.com Staff

SPRINGFIELD, Oregon – There were five drug overdoses in seven hours on Saturday, followed by at least four more on Sunday and Monday.

Now, the Springfield police are responding to this sudden and potentially fatal dilemma.

McKenzie-Willamette, in Springfield, is one of the hospitals that has received overdose patients.

Police responded to four overdoses on Saturday, but a fifth victim was later dropped off at the hospital. Police say they are disturbed by this volume of overdoses in such a short period of time and they have reason to believe that they could all be linked to the same batch of heroin.

Police said witnesses told them that the purchased heroin was pure white, unlike the black tar heroin that is usually seen in this area.

This could indicate that it has been associated with fentanyl, a highly concentrated opioid. Police say that fentanyl is so strong that it can be absorbed through the skin and even a small dose can be deadly.

"These substances are not mixed in a laboratory, you now, it's not a pharmaceutical environment," said Scott McKee, of the Springfield Police. "Thus, the concentration of the mixture can certainly vary and someone who mixes it in a bowl will not necessarily be concerned about overdoses as much."

Police have not confirmed that fentanyl caused these overdoses, but says she is now working to find the source of the drugs to be discovered.

Until now, no deaths have been reported to the police.