Luzerne County Warns of Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine After 12 Deaths

Luzerne County officials called an unusual media conference Tuesday to warn residents that a dozen overdose deaths in the past three months involved cocaine laced with fentanyl — a shift in the local drug supply they fear is catching occasional users off guard, even as the county's overall overdose death toll continues a four-year decline.

"These combinations are extremely dangerous and can be deadly when someone may not realize fentanyl is even present in the drugs that they are buying or using," said county Coroner Dion Fernandes, who scheduled the announcement in hopes of preventing further deaths.

A 'party drug' reputation that no longer holds

District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said the alert was warranted because many people still view powder cocaine as an experimental "party drug" that would not kill them. Mixed with fentanyl, he said, it immediately becomes a "potential death situation."

Fentanyl is similar to morphine but about 100 times more potent, Fernandes said, and as little as two milligrams — comparable to a few grains of salt — can be lethal depending on a person's body size, tolerance and history of use.

Notably, Sanguedolce said, there has been no substantial increase in powder cocaine use in "far more than a decade," leaving investigators puzzled about the supply itself. "We're still researching why on earth cocaine has made a resurgence," he said.

Carelessness, profit — or both

The district attorney laid out two working theories for why fentanyl keeps showing up in cocaine. One is cross-contamination: illegal drug labs handling both substances mix batches in the same spot without caring about keeping them separate. The other is economic — fentanyl is "extremely cheap to make," so cutting it in boosts profit margins.

"It's a function of both carelessness and profit margin," Sanguedolce said.

Fernandes added that fentanyl is also turning up in methamphetamine and in counterfeit pills pressed to look like legitimate pharmaceuticals. Because fake pills carry no quality control, buyers have no way to know whether a tablet contains fentanyl at all — or a lethal amount of it. Health officials across the country have flagged the same polysubstance pattern, with stimulant-opioid combinations driving a growing share of overdose deaths.

The bigger trend is still improving

The warning comes against an otherwise encouraging backdrop. The county has recorded 35 confirmed drug overdose deaths so far this year, with several more cases pending toxicology. Last year brought 71 deaths — 18 fewer than the year before — and the count has fallen steadily from a record 208 in 2021, through 174 in 2022, 145 in 2023 and 89 in 2024.

That trajectory mirrors a broader national decline in opioid deaths, though officials in Northeastern Pennsylvania said Tuesday that the changing composition of the drug supply threatens to slow it.

'No safe supply' — and free tools to survive it

County Manager Romilda Crocamo said she wanted to "speak plainly to residents."

"There is no safe supply. Whatever is circulating in our communities right now is not what people think they are buying," she said. "You do not know what you are ingesting, and you can be certain it is not anything good. One use can be fatal."

Crocamo said the district attorney's office is actively investigating the sources of the drugs — "anyone putting poison into our communities should understand that they are being pursued and that they will be prosecuted" — while emphasizing that the county does "not treat addiction as a criminal matter only."

For those who continue to use, the county offers naloxone and fentanyl test strips free of charge. County Drug and Alcohol Administrator Michael Gagliardi said both are available "no questions asked," and can be left at the front desk of the county human services building in Wilkes-Barre for anyone who calls ahead. Fernandes cautioned that test strips cannot guarantee a substance is safe but can provide "potential life-saving information."

"Do not become one of our statistics," the coroner said, urging anyone struggling with substance use to seek help. Information about services, naloxone and test strips is available through the county's drug and alcohol section at luzernecounty.org, and the SAMHSA National Helpline — 1-800-662-4357 — is free, confidential and staffed around the clock.