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Deadly Drug "Grey Death" Hits Florida

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (Facebook)
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Law enforcement officials are warning of a deadly new drug hitting South Florida streets called “grey death.”

It’s actually a mixture of several opioid drugs, including heroin, fentanyl and elephant tranquilizer. It looks like concrete mixing powder and is linked to fatal overdoses in Alabama, Georgia and Ohio.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is warning the community. The mixture has the potential to kill just by getting it on your skin. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office has ordered special gear for deputies that may encounter the drug.

Grey Death is the latest in a constantly evolving opioid black market.

Justin Miller is with the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Miami Division.

“That’s really a big reason why this drug crisis is different than other drug crisis we’ve seen,” Miller said. “It is because we’re seeing new drugs constantly. And we’re having to adjust accordingly to that.”

Earlier this month, Florida Governor Rick Scott declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency.

Peter Haden is an award-winning investigative reporter and photographer currently working with The Center for Investigative Reporting. His stories are featured in media outlets around the world including NPR, CNN en Español, ECTV Ukraine, USA Today, Qatar Gulf Times, and the Malaysia Star.