Martin County - Friday March 10, 2023: The Martin County Sheriff Office reports that a woman already under arrest on drug charges, was dealing in tranq laced fentanyl. Tranq is the narcotic xylazine.
The suspect is Kristen B. Swift, who was arrested last year by MCSO Deputies during a controlled narcotics buy. During that arrest MCSO Special Investigations Detectives seized fentanyl that Swift was selling throughout the County, according to a release from the Sheriff's Office.
The Special Investigations Section sent the seized drugs in for lab testing and the results confirm that the fentanyl Swift was selling also contained tranq.
The Sheriff says dealers are “cutting” their illicit drugs with tranq as a cheap way to make them more potent and marketable on the streets. Cutting illicit drugs like fentanyl with tranq increases the chances of an accidental overdose. tranq does not respond to Narcan, therefore eliminating an overdose victim's chances of survival.
Tranq, or xylazine, is a pharmaceutical drug used for sedation, anesthesia, muscle relaxation, and as a pain reliever in horses, cattle, and other animals. In humans the drug causes excessive sleepiness and respiratory depression. The drug often causes raw, crusty skin ulcers, that spread out from the injection site. A tranq user is likely to have severe, very noticeable large open wounds throughout their body. The skin wounds can be so severe that the infected body part may require amputation if left untreated.
The MCSO drug case against Swift was turned over to the Federal Authorities. She is now serving four years in prison.