SoCal Man Charged With Selling an Opioid Stronger Than Fentanyl, Leading to One Death

Some of the 30,000 fentanyl pills the Drug Enforcement Administration seized in August 2017 in one of its bigger busts, in Tempe, Ariz. DEA via AP

A Southern California man has been charged with selling a synthetic opioid that is three times more powerful than fentanyl and killed a 22-year-old buyer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles announced Nov. 21.

Benjamin Anthony Collins, 21, of Santa Clarita in northwestern Los Angeles County, was charged with one count of distribution of protonitazene, resulting in death.

Prosecutors said they believed it was the nation’s first fatal case involving the narcotic, according to the statement.

Federal authorities arrested Collins on Monday. He pleaded not guilty to the charge at his arraignment Wednesday, prosecutors said, and is expected to face trial on Jan. 14.

The judge in the case ordered him to remain in custody without the ability to post bond.

The federal indictment claims Collings intentionally distributed the protonitazene pills on April 19 to a 22-year-old man from Stevenson Ranch, a city about 35 miles north of Los Angeles.

Prosecutors say Collins also arranged to sell the victim a bulk supply in the future. The victim consumed the pills soon after in the front seat of his car and quickly died. His mother found him dead in the car, which was parked outside her home, and called 911.

If convicted, Collins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life.

Protonitazene is a synthetic opioid that has gained popularity in the United States, Canada, and Europe in the past few years. Experts believe the drug is several times more powerful than fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin.

The Center for Forensic Science Research and Education issued an alert about the opioid in December 2021, announcing the increase of its use in the United States and Canada.

At that time, blood tested during nine death investigations in the United States was confirmed to contain the drug, and six more cases were discovered through other toxicology testing.

“The toxicity of protonitazene has not been examined or reported, but recent association with death among people who use drugs leads professionals to believe this synthetic opioid retains the potential to cause widespread harm and is of public health concern,” the center wrote in its alert.

Protonitazene is in a class of illicit opioids called nitazenes, according to the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC), and can come in powder or tablets.

The potency of the drug “greatly exceeds” that of fentanyl, the CDC reported in 2022.

Naloxone can be effective in reversing the effects of the drug, but several doses might be needed, according to the CDC.