Philadelphia’s zombie drug ‘tranq’ already in NYC

PHILADELPHIA (WPIX) – Driving in Philadelphia’s embattled Kensington neighborhood on Tuesday to get a firsthand have a look at the results of xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that was turning fentanyl addicts into “zombies,” WPIX noticed a sea of individuals with leg wounds, swollen fingers and even lacking limbs alongside infamous Kensington Avenue.

“Subsequent factor you already know, you get up with these big-a** holes throughout you,” mentioned Jennette Freas, 48, who will get assist with wound care at Prevention Level Philadelphia. “They only popped up anyplace. It’s not essentially the place you shoot up.”

Shawn Westfahl, coordinator for overdose prevention on the non-profit company, mentioned it’s believed the concept to combine xylazine — referred to as “tranq” — into the heroin and fentanyl provide began in Puerto Rico earlier than the animal sedative turned up in Philadelphia.

Xylazine is now in 90% of Philadelphia’s drug provide, and a federal regulation enforcement supply instructed WPIX it has additionally been detected in New York Metropolis drug stash homes.

“Including a horse tranquilizer, one thing extra sedating, makes it really feel prefer it lasts longer,” Westfahl famous.

Artwork El Malik, who mentioned he first tried fentanyl in Seattle earlier than returning to his native Philadelphia, seen a number of years in the past that his medication had been turning a distinct shade of white or pink.

“We might get up, and we might be utterly sick,” El Malik instructed WPIX. “We’d see individuals strolling round wanting like animals, with their knuckles touching the bottom.”

El Malik’s fingers are swollen to about 3 times the traditional dimension, and he mentioned medical doctors have warned him about an infection that would result in amputation.

“Yeah, there’s a chance,” El Malik mentioned. “Lots of my buddies have misplaced their limbs already.”

WPIX noticed one younger man in a wheelchair who was lacking his left foot.

Sean Anderson, 44, is initially from Delaware and mentioned his shin not too long ago had two holes in it earlier than it healed.

“Delaware’s nothing like right here,” Anderson mentioned. “It is a complete different world.”

Anderson mentioned he was turned onto drugs and heroin by his mom when he was younger. He got here to Philadelphia after his mom died of the coronavirus. He mentioned a neighborhood supplier gave him a free bag of dope.

“After I was leaving, some man gave me samples and that’s what obtained me caught,” Anderson mentioned. “They’d samples of free dope. I obtained one and I’ve been caught ever since.”

The general public who reside in tents, wheelchairs and among the many rubbish alongside Kensington Avenue at the moment are hooked on two medication: xylazine and fentanyl.

Remarkably, xylazine just isn’t listed as a managed substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The drug is monitored by the Meals and Drug Administration, which issued a warning final November concerning the drug tainting the nation’s road drug provide.