Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics officials are warning family members of drug addicts that fentanyl-laced drugs are coming into the Hattiesburg area like never before. The push to raise awareness came during a news conference Monday with these sobering statistics:

• There have been five overdoses and one death in the past two weeks related to illegal drugs laced with fentanyl — an opiod 100 times stronger than morphine.
• For the first time in Mississippi, authorities are seeing Mexican oxy in the Pine Belt — a counterfeit oxycodone that is being manufactured by the cartels in Mexico and shipped into the United States.
• For the first time in this state, authorities have discovered in the Pine Belt methamphetamine mixed with fentanyl.

“People need to understand — if you’re buying any kind of narcotics on the street — whether you think it is a legal prescription or not — you’re basically playing Russian Roulette,” said John Dowdy, director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, during the news conference in Hattiesburg. “If you don’t get a pill from a pharmacist you know — don’t take that pill.”

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Dowdy said the bureau is working with county and local officials on law enforcement efforts to get the powerful drugs off the street. There have been two arrests and more are expected in what is an ongoing investigation.

In addition, Narcan, used for the complete or partial reversal of opioid overdose, has been placed in the hands of authorities and those in danger of overdose.

Dowdy said family members need to watch out for relatives who are drug addicts during this potentially dangerous time.

“People need to be mindful of the fact that if you have someone in your family who is a drug addict, you probably need to have this conversation with them,” he said. “Regardless if it is methamphetamine, marijuana or prescription pills, the chances of their getting a dosage unit contaminated with fentanyl is pretty high right now.”

Dowdy said he would like to see enhanced penalties for drug dealers whose customers end up injured or dead because of contaminated drugs, but Mississippi law doesn’t allow it.

“These drug dealers don’t care about the people they’re selling to,” he said. “They’re just looking to make money.”

Contact Ellen Ciurczak at eciurczak@gannett.com. Follow @educellen on Twitter.

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