TBI warns public after cocaine samples test positive for fentanyl

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Friday that several samples of cocaine have tested positive for fentanyl.

The TBI urges public caution, especially among recreational drug users, after the powerful narcotic painkiller, or one of its analogs, was found in the cocaine samples submitted by law enforcement agencies in Middle and East Tennessee, according to a TBI release.

“In certain doses, fentanyl can be 50 to 100 times as potent as morphine,” the release states. “The drug doesn’t necessarily need to be ingested to have an effect. It can absorb through the skin, so touching the substance can quickly put an individual at risk of opioid overdose.”

The recent submissions mark the first time samples of cocaine have tested positive in a TBI laboratory for fentanyl, according to the release. Fentanyl had previously been found primarily in samples of heroin or pills compounded to resemble prescription opioids.

The investigation into the origins of the samples remains active and ongoing.