A 21-year-old is charged with selling a potent synthetic opioid linked to a fatal overdose, the first such case in the U.S.

Benjamin Anthony Collins, a 21-year-old from Santa Clarita, California, is charged with selling protonitazene, a synthetic opioid three times stronger than fentanyl, which led to a fatal overdose of a 22-year-old man from Los Angeles County in April. This is the first death-related protonitazene case in the U.S., according to the DEA. Collins pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial on January 14, 2025.

December 01, 2024
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