Fatal Overdoses Linked to ‘ZOMBIE DRUG’ Skyrocketing in NYC

AUDIO – ON THE STREET WHERE YOU DIE –

OCT. 26, 2024 – A powerful animal tranquilizer-turned-dangerous street drug, xylazine — also known as “tranq” — is increasingly being mixed into New York City’s narcotics supply with deadly results. It’s known as the “zombie drug” for the gruesome sores it causes on people’s bodies and for how it knocks users out right in their tracks — in the middle of the sidewalk or even in the street. Despite xylazine’s spreading throughout the U.S. — it’s been found in the drug supply in 48 out of 50 states — New York City has not been as affected as the rest of the country. Until now.

Data exclusively obtained by the Daily News show the percentage of fatal overdoses citywide involving xylazine nearly doubled from 2021 to 2023 — spiking from 14% to 23% — according to analyses by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

The jump in tranq-related ODs was particularly high in Manhattan, spiking from 12% to 22%, and Queens, from 11% to 20%. The highest rates in 2023 were in the Bronx and Staten Island, at 26% and 28%, respectively.