Louisiana becomes latest hotspot for mystery drug that’s 10 times stronger than fentanyl and tied to 41 deaths

NewsWorldAmericasUS Crime NewsLouisiana becomes latest hotspot for mystery drug that’s 10 times stronger than fentanyl and tied to 41 deathsThe powerful synthetic opioid cychlorphine, first flagged by a DEA lab in 2024, has since been observed in cases across at least 13 U.S. statesJosh Marcus in San Francisco Saturday 02 May 2026 13:42 BSTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":false,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2969190","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/louisiana-cychlorphine-opioid-fentanyl-overdose-death-b2969190.html","title":"Louisiana latest hotspot for drug tied to 41 deaths that’s stronger than fentanyl"}}CloseFDA approves 'non-opioid' painkillersThe latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Evening_Newsletter","regTitle":"Evening Headlines","subscriptionGroup":"us_evening_headlines","subscriptionGroupId":"4326e634-422a-4447-8e1e-604a937cd3b5","type":"daily_news","pathPrefix":["/us","/news/world/americas","/news/world/americas/crime"],"title":"The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday","mobileTitle":"Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/usEveningHeadlines1_1.png","label":"I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email","newsletterKey":"receiveEveningHeadlinesUSNews","regSourceSection":"US Crime New...