COLUMBUS, OH — The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) is reporting a troubling resurgence in carfentanil seizures across the state, prompting Attorney General Dave Yost to issue a stark warning about the growing danger of synthetic opioids.
“The amateur chemists who create these deadly drug combinations don’t care if you live or die,” Yost said. “Here’s the deal: If you take drugs that weren’t prescribed by your doctor, you risk lethal exposure to synthetic opioids.”
According to BCI data, forensic scientists identified carfentanil in 199 samples submitted to the state lab during the first nine months of 2025 — a dramatic increase from just nine samples in 2023 and 40 in 2024.
Carfentanil, a synthetic opioid estimated to be 100 times more potent than fentanyl and 10,000 times stronger than morphine, was once at crisis levels in 2017 when it appeared in more than 1,100 Ohio drug samples. After years of decline, BCI says the recent uptick is spreading, with detections in 46 Ohio counties, particularly in central, northwestern, and southern Ohio.
The drug, which is used by veterinarians to sedate elephants and other large animals, is not approved for human use. It often appears mixed with other dangerous substances such as fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, xylazine, or ketamine — making overdoses especially unpredictable and deadly.
New Synthetic Opioid Detected in Ohio
Adding to the concern, BCI scientists have identified a new synthetic opioid in Ohio known as N-propionitrile chlorphine, or cychlorphine. The rare compound, similar in potency to fentanyl, was first found following a non-fatal overdose in Fairfield (Butler County) that required several doses of Narcan to revive the victim.
The tan powder involved in that case also contained fentanyl and xylazine, both known to intensify respiratory depression. Cychlorphine has been scarcely reported nationwide, with only two other known occurrences — a July 2025 overdose in Tennessee and an April 2024 drug seizure in Florida, according to the DEA.
To date, BCI’s laboratories have analyzed about 65 distinct fentanyl compounds, underscoring the constantly evolving landscape of synthetic drugs circulating in Ohio communities.
“Every new variant makes it harder to predict what’s out there,” Yost warned. “People are playing Russian roulette with substances that can kill in micrograms.”
