Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, is the leading cause of fatal overdoses on Staten Island and the rest of New York City. <\/p>\n
A significant reduction in the flow of fentanyl into the United States from Mexico is noted in the report, which attributes this development to enhanced law enforcement and increased public awareness about the dangers of that opioid.<\/p>\n
With the decrease in fentanyl availability, cocaine and heroin use is on the uptick citywide, according to the report.<\/p>\n
Drug traffickers have reacted to the decrease in fentanyl by combining that opioid with other potentially deadly substances in order to maintain supply and potency, according to the report, which was issued at a news conference Wednesday at the office of District Attorney Michael E. McMahon. <\/p>\n
![\"Staten](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/JO6FSFKUBJFD7PS4BYQ6G6L4TQ.jpeg\")
The Staten Island Fentanyl and Overdose Task Force reveals its legislative agenda during a news conference Wednesday hosted by District Attorney Michael E. McMahon at his office in St. George on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. Meagan Sills, president of Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, speaks at the podium.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)<\/p>\n
\u201cFentanyl remains present in nearly every street substance,\u201d said Meagan Sills, president of Northwell Staten Island University Hospital.<\/p>\n
She warned that more dangerous illicit opioids are on the horizon.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking ahead to 2026, we expect to see new synthetic opioids emerge that are even more potent than what we\u2019ve seen today,\u201d Sills said.<\/p>\n
When victims have more than one drug in their systems, it\u2019s commonly referred to as polysubstance use.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolysubstance use is rising, which makes overdose response more complex and unpredictable,\u201d Sills said.<\/p>\n
![\"Staten](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763204168_422_S2G4MY6UAZDVDLP2JQYEEWALHU.jpeg\")
The Staten Island Fentanyl and Overdose Task Force reveals its legislative agenda during a news conference Wednesday hosted by District Attorney Michael E. McMahon at his office in St. George on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. Dr. Joel Idowu, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences at Richmond University Medical Center, speaks at the podium. Ileana Acosta, director of behavioral health at the Staten Island Performing Provider System, stands behind the podium. McMahon is on the right.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)<\/p>\n
Dr. Joel Idowu, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences at Richmond University Medical Center, said that his department requests the autopsy report for every client who dies. Sometimes he is \u201camazed and shocked\u201d by the number of substances detected in one person. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo that tells me that really there\u2019s a lot of work to be done because we really haven\u2019t gotten to the root of the problem,\u201d Idowu said, adding that he is committed to working with the task force toward the goal of zero deaths from drug overdoses.<\/p>\n
The NYPD and the city Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor were among the sources who contributed information about drug trends listed in the report.<\/p>\n
![\"Staten](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/PDVFX2S3UZBCPFAIJ2EHFGNYVM.JPG\")
NYPD Deputy Chief Amir Yakatally of Patrol Borough Staten Island speaks at the Staten Island Fentanyl and Overdose Task Force news conference at the office of District Attorney Michael E. McMahon in St. George on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. Ileana Acosta, director of behavioral health at the Staten Island Performing Provider System, stands behind the podium.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)<\/p>\n
NYPD Deputy Chief Amir Yakatally of Patrol Borough Staten Island stressed that public safety is \u201ca shared responsibility, a team effort among our law enforcement partners, neighboring agencies, health care providers, elected officials, and the people we proudly serve.\u201d<\/p>\n
He attributed the 49% decrease in fatal overdoses to the collaboration of the task force members.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we are proud of the progress we made, we know there\u2019s still a lot of work to be done,\u201d Yakatally said. \u201cWe will continue standing with our partners in law enforcement, public health, and throughout the community to reduce overdoses, support recovery, and keep Staten Island families safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Staten](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/VMRU5HQSZREGNN65MIPT6MU6L4.JPG\")
Dr. Joseph Conte, executive director of the Staten Island Performing Provider System, speaks at the Staten Island Fentanyl and Overdose Task Force news conference at the office of District Attorney Michael E. McMahon in St. George on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. Ileana Acosta, director of behavioral health at the Staten Island Performing Provider System, stands behind the podium.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)Fentanyl-cocaine on the rise<\/p>\n
The report states that fentanyl-cocaine combinations are increasing. The district attorney\u2019s office has \u201cdocumented a notable rise in cocaine seizures throughout 2024 and into 2025, signaling an expanding trend with serious public health implications.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heroin, the veterinary sedative xylazine and microplastics are being mixed with fentanyl. Seeping into the illegal drug pipeline are even more potent medications designed for animals, including the sedative medetomidine and the opioid carfentanil, according to the report. <\/a><\/p>\n McMahon, who founded the task force in 2023 with Borough President Vito Fossella, said, \u201cWe continue to see fentanyl as a major driving factor in overdoses, but we\u2019ve also seen the scourge of medetomidine and xylazine, as well as carfentanil.\u201d <\/p>\n Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid 100 times more potent than fentanyl. \u201cEven trace amounts can cause overdose, making elimination of this substance from the borough a top priority,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n Kratom, a plant-based substance, remains legal and widely available at convenience stores despite its highly addictive opioid effect.<\/a> The task force is striving to have Kratom added to the state schedule of controlled substances.<\/p>\n Fake prescription pills that look like their real counterparts are being peddled on the streets and on the dark web. The pills potentially contain deadly doses of fentanyl, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration\u2019s One Pill Can Kill campaign.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cCounterfeit pills continue to pose a real danger, especially for young people who may believe that they are taking something harmless,\u201d Sills said. <\/p>\n Dealers are increasingly selling and distributing fake prescription pills over the internet and social media. <\/a><\/p>\n Seniors who purchase medications online are being targeted by criminals, according to the report. <\/p>\n Websites that falsely present themselves as legitimate pharmaceutical companies are selling fake prescription pills.<\/p>\n Additional speakers included Dr. Ginny Mantello, director of Health and Wellness at the Borough President\u2019s Office; Jacqueline Filis, executive director of the YMCA of Greater New York Counseling Service; and Adrienne Abbate, executive director of Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Dangerous combinations of fentanyl mixed with cocaine, veterinary medications and other substances are causing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40432,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":["post-40431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-staten-island","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-staten-island","tag-staten-island-headlines","tag-staten-island-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Staten](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/L5SCA6AJQ5AS5M327NDUPRWHQM.JPG\")
Adrienne Abbate, executive director of Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness, speaks at the Staten Island Fentanyl and Overdose Task Force news conference at the office of District Attorney Michael E. McMahon in St. George on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)Fake prescription pills can kill<\/p>\n