Sunday 19/April/2026 – 02:23 AM
The Associated Press revealed in a report the story of the dangerous chemical “carfentanil,” which has spread as a deadly alternative to fentanyl in the United States of America, citing in its report the story of 36-year-old Michael Naliwaja, who underwent rehabilitation for drug addiction as a teenager, but returned to using a mixture. Fentanyl and carfentanil are fatal.
According to the Associated Press, Michael Naliwaja, 36, settled into a quiet life in Alaska as an electrician, nearly two decades after undergoing rehabilitation for drug addiction as a teenager, but everything collapsed in late 2025, when he got involved with a friend of his. A lethal combination of fentanyl and carfentanil, RThey thought it was cocaine, and his mother, Kelly Naliwaja, said: As soon as I heard the word autopsy, I completely collapsed… Even if someone had been carrying an anti-overdose drug, or 911 had been called in time, he would not have survived.
According to The Associated Press: Carfentanil, a weapons-grade chemical that authorities say is 10,000 times more powerful than morphine and 100 times more powerful than fentanyl, is experiencing a dramatic resurgence across the United States, killing hundreds of drug users.
Reasons for the spread and transformations in drug manufacturing
According to The Associated Press, this rise coincides with the Chinese government’s recent crackdown on the sale of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl. US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intelligence releases indicate that these regulations are prompting traffickers in Mexico to use carfentanil to increase the strength of weaker versions of fentanyl.
This increase is extremely dangerous, as an amount smaller than the size of a “poppy seed” can kill a person. Frank Tarantino, head of operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration in the US Northeast Region, indicated that an amount as little as a “grain of salt” could be fatal, describing the matter as a real horror for opioid addicts.
Disturbing data and history of use as a weapon
In 2025, DEA laboratories identified carfentanil in US seizures 1400 timescompared to 145 times in 2023 and only 54 times in 2022.
Carfentanil has previously been used as a chemical weapon, with Russian forces using it against Chechen separatists in 2002. While legal use of the substance is limited to veterinarians to tranquilize elephants and large animals, the permitted annual allowance in the United States is just 20 grams, enough to fill the palm of a hand.
In 2024, carfentanil overdose deaths nearly tripled from the previous year, to 413 deaths in 42 US states.
Fentanyl deaths decline and carfentanil risks escalate
Although overdose deaths in the United States have been declining for more than two years — thanks to the availability of the anti-overdose drug Naloxone and expanding addiction treatment — experts warn that high doses of the life-saving drug may not be enough to revive carfentanil victims.
“Carfentanil has the potential to spread throughout the United States unless law enforcement focuses its efforts to track how addicts obtain it,” said Mike Vigil, former chief of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration. Authorities have recently documented several massive seizures, including the discovery of 628,000 pills containing carfentanil in Los Angeles.
Economic motives and human tragedy
Rob Tanguay, medical director of addiction services at a Canadian health agency, explained that some users are looking for carfentanil despite its danger because of the sudden euphoria it gives, but he stressed that the main motive for its spread in the market is “money,” as a very small amount of it is enough to generate huge profits for smuggling networks.
In the midst of this crisis, Kelly Naliwaja refused to hold a large funeral for her son, and instead organized a local meeting in California to bring together officials and bereaved mothers. Kelly calls for major legislation and judicial changes to prevent a repeat of her tragedy, saying about the drug that killed her son: It’s not just an overdose, it’s a murder weapon.
