TULSA, Okla. — 2 News Oklahoma took an in-depth look into how fentanyl is impacting Tulsa and how police stay safe while handling it.
“Without speculation we’ve seen a lot more fentanyl, especially in the last few years," Tulsa Police Officer Danny Bean said. "We’ve seen it rise nationally, we see the same rise here."
Fentanyl is known to be a deadly drug with only two milligrams being lethal.
“We see all of these overdoses from these drugs that get cut with fentanyl, and it just takes one dose for these kids or adults, whoever is taking it. Just one cut of whatever drug they're taking and they’ll go into cardiac arrest.”
Tulsa police say when it comes to handling such a lethal drug, officers typically wear gloves and, when needed, face masks. Officers also carry Narcan, a nasal spray that treats narcotic overdoses.
“We get an overdose call and it's still a potential part where we can save their life, we are gonna use the Narcan," Bean said. "And now, even especially now with us coming into contact with fentanyl. It would be used on us as well so it’s a very good tool for us to have."
Bean says sometimes they arrest people with only one or two pills, while others are caught with much larger numbers, planning to sell the pills.
The Tulsa Police Department posted photos Friday from what it called its largest fentanyl bust in history. While serving the warrant, officers found 11 pounds of fentanyl in addition with other drugs on Aug. 11.
MORE >>> Tulsa police: Over 11 pounds of fentanyl, meth, heroin found in large drug bust
“Every time — we try to find out where it came from. If there’s more. Anything we can find, our officers will do."
He says with such a rise in fentanyl overdoses and busts both nationally and locally, drug education is especially important.
“It's not worth it. Because anything they don’t know where it came from, anything that’s not prescribed to them for certain issues, should be taken as if it had fentanyl."
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