Charleston Police send out warning about veterinary tranquilizer in drugs

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston Police Department is urging caution after they have identified a dangerous substance in drugs that have recently been taken off the streets.

Police say xylazine, a dangerous veterinary tranquilizer, has been found as an adulterant in illicit drugs that have recently been seized by local law enforcement. An adulterant is a substance that is added to a product but not listed, so the consumer doesn’t know it’s an ingredient.

Xylazine is most commonly found in mixtures with fentanyl, but has also been detected in mixtures containing heroin, cocaine and a variety of other drugs, according to police.

The police department says there were eight overdoses in Clarendon County over the past week after people ingested pills that resembled oxycodone. The Charleston Police Department Laboratory has identified fentanyl and xylazine in blue tablets like the ones pictured below, according to the release from the department.

Police say the potential side effects can be dangerous for humans if ingested, especially because xylazine does not respond to Narcan.

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