KALISPELL - The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public about a deadly drug combination that is showing up in northwest Montana.
Tranq - also known as Tranq Dope - is a combination of fentanyl and the animal tranquilizer Xylazine.
Xylazine is a strong anesthetic used in veterinary medicine that when mixed with opioids can cause severe soft tissue wounds and central nervous system depression.
Users are often referred to as "zombie" addicts as the drugs can cause severe skin ulcers that may lead to amputations.
Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said Narcan doesn’t work to counter the effects of Xylazine. He said that test results from recent drug busts in Flathead County are showing positive for Xylazine.
“We’re starting to see this, we’re seeing some testing coming back with this Xylazine in it and we want to make the community aware that this is a dangerous drug. And again I implore people to understand that, you know, we often have drug issues in our community but this is one of the most dangerous ones I’ve seen in that it will kill family members and loved ones.”
Heino asks parents and guardians to constantly remind their children about the dangers of street drugs.
