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A Santa Clarita man was charged this week in what federal prosecutors believe is the country’s first death involving a synthetic opioid three times more powerful than fentanyl.
Benjamin Anthony Collins, 21, is being held without bail on suspicion of selling pills containing protonitazene to a 22-year-old man from Stevenson Ranch, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a news release. The victim died shortly after taking the drug and was found by his mother sitting in the front seat of her car outside her home.
Collins is charged with distributing protonitazen resulting in death, which, if convicted, could result in a minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. He was arrested a month after the victim died, and investigators found a large amount of drugs, including ketamine, in his car, according to court records.
Prosecutors said Collins had a long history of drug dealing. According to court records, “After this incident, and after learning that his pills killed the deceased, Collins continued to openly traffic drugs, and in an Instagram Live video he announced his drug trafficking service. “We are promoting it.”
Hours before his death, the victim called Collins and asked for Percocet pills. Investigators said Collins sold five oxycodone pills for $20 each. In text messages before the deal, they discussed recent deaths caused by placebos and pills with strings, court records show.
“I need real Perc…my son just passed away…I’m worried,” the victim said in a text message. Collins replied: “Yes, my best friend is the same way. He just passed away three days ago. No fake pills please.” Collins said. . I test everything myself [expletive] …It’s negative every time. ”
Collins admitted to investigators that he sold the drugs for money and knew about the victim’s death.
Protonitazene is reportedly three times stronger than the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which has been sold on the Internet in recent years, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Just two months ago, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a Notice of Intent to add protonitazene and another emerging “nitazene” drug to the Controlled Substances Act as Schedule I narcotics.
According to court documents, protonitazene is “nitazene, a type of opioid developed in the 1950s as a substitute for morphine, but was so potent that the FDA refused to approve its use.”
A federal complaint from the Southern District of New York charges two men with distributing fentanyl mixed with protonitazene in April to confidential sources working with law enforcement. There were no deaths associated with the incident.
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