Drug 100 times more powerful than fentanyl has been seized for the first time on Long Island

NEW YORK – Carfentanil, a synthetic opioid 100 times more potent than fentanyl, was seized for the first time on Long Island.

A seven-month drug investigation just resulted in a seizure of the deadly drug, typically used to sedate large mammals, in Suffolk County.

Drug known on the street as “Super Mario.”

Arrest warrants have been issued for four suspected carfentanil drug traffickers. Three pleaded not guilty, but one remains at large.

A health alert has been issued on Long Island and central New York State, where carfentanil was first spotted.

On the street, carfentanil is referred to as “Super Mario.”

“The drug supply here on Long Island and throughout New York State is burdened with this extremely deadly drug,” said Steve Chassman, executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence.

“Turning a disastrous decision into a near-fatal decision”

There are fears that people are experimenting with carfentanil or buying pills illegally.

“This substance will contain, at least in part, either fentanyl or carfentanil. So they turn what was certainly a disastrous decision into an almost certainly fatal decision,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.

Carole Trottere of Old Field is mourning the loss of her son who accidentally overdosed on fentanyl and died. She's worried about carfentanil, the new drug on the market.

“Who are the people making this stuff in a lab somewhere? It's about money. It’s all about money,” Trottere said. “We have lost an entire generation of young people in their prime.”

A rally about the fentanyl crisis will be held at Robert Moses State Park on Sunday.