Aug 26, 2015 1 min read

Federal investigators linked the powerful painkiller fentanyl to the heroin behind a spate of heroin overdoses in the region, the Washington County district attorney said.

District Attorney Gene Vittone said Wednesday a laboratory test on one of the heroin stamp bags named “made in Colombia” confirmed it was laced with fentanyl.

“It is so much more powerful than heroin,” Vittone said.

He said Washington County experienced between two and seven heroin overdoses a day for the past two months, and he expected investigators to discover fentanyl in the supply.

Emergency workers were called to yet another fatal heroin overdose last weekend involving a Fallowfield Township man.

The worst rash of overdoses took place Aug. 16 and 17 when emergency workers were summoned to 29 of them. Three people died from the suspected heroin overdoses over those two days.

“It looks like it’s calmed down a little bit,” Vittone said.

He said Westmoreland and Fayette counties are experiencing the same problem. Monessen in Westmoreland has seen its share of recent overdoses, Vittone said.

“It’s all dangerous,” he said. “The fentanyl, that’s what makes this particularly dangerous.”