A dozen Luzerne County overdose deaths in the last three months involved a combination of cocaine and fentanyl, county officials warned during a Tuesday media conference.
“These combinations are extremely dangerous and can be deadly when someone may not realize fentanyl is even present in the drugs that they are buying or using,” said county Coroner Dion Fernandes.
A powerful synthetic opioid, fentanyl is similar to morphine but about 100 times more potent, he said. Two milligrams of fentanyl, comparable to a few grains of salt or sand, can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage, the coroner said.
County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said the local increase in the fentanyl-laced powder cocaine warrants an alert because many may have a past view that cocaine is an experimental “party drug” that would not kill them.
When mixed with fentanyl, cocaine immediately becomes a “potential death situation,” the DA said.
Sanguedolce said there has not been a substantial increase in powder cocaine use in “far more than a decade.”
“We’re still researching why on earth cocaine has made a resurgence,” he said.
There are mixed theories on why cocaine is increasingly cut with fentanyl, he said.
One is that illegal drug labs dealing with both fentanyl and cocaine are not careful and don’t care about preventing contamination when they mix batches of each in the same spot.
Another theory is that fentanyl is being used in the mix because it is “extremely cheap to make,” he said.
“It’s a function of both carelessness and profit margin,” the DA said.
Fernandes said he scheduled the announcement, hoping to prevent further deaths and overdoses amid the concerning change in the local drug landscape.
The coroner also pointed out an emergence of fentanyl appearing in methamphetamine, a highly addictive synthetic stimulant.
While abstaining is the safest option, Fernandes said those choosing to use illegal drugs can obtain the opioid overdose antidote Naloxone, or Narcan, along with strips to test for the presence of fentanyl in drugs. Both are available free through the county, he said.
Test strips cannot guarantee a substance is safe, but they can provide potential life-saving information, he said.
Fentanyl may also be pressed into counterfeit pills designed to look real, he warned. Because fake pills have no government oversight or quality control, buyers may be unaware that the level of fentanyl is lethal or that the pills contain fentanyl in the first place, Fernandes said.
He urged those with information about the manufacturing or selling of these drugs to contact law enforcement.
Substance use disorder “does not discriminate,” he said, advising those struggling to seek help and take precautions.
“Do not become one of our statistics,” he said.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo said she wanted to “speak plainly to residents.”
“There is no safe supply. Whatever is circulating in our communities right now is not what people think they are buying,” she said, describing pills made to look authentic and powders cut with fentanyl and other substances that may not be fully counteracted by Narcan.
“You do not know what you are ingesting, and you can be certain it is not anything good. One use can be fatal,” Crocamo said.
Crocamo said the DA’s Office is actively investigating the sources of the drugs.
“Anyone putting poison into our communities should understand that they are being pursued and that they will be prosecuted,” she said.
At the same time, the county does “not treat addiction as a criminal matter only” and provides free and confidential help, she said.
Contact numbers and other information about services, Narcan, and test strips are available on the county drug and alcohol section at luzernecounty.org.
County Drug and Alcohol Administrator Michael Gagliardi said Narcan and test strips are available “no questions asked,” and he can leave them at the front desk of the county human services desk in Wilkes-Barre for anyone requesting them in advance.
Despite the fatal cocaine/fentanyl mix announced Tuesday, the county’s overall drug overdose deaths are down.
The county had 35 confirmed drug overdose deaths this year to date, and several more are pending toxicology test results, Fernandes said Tuesday.
According to data the coroner released in February, there were 71 drug overdose deaths in the county in 2025, or 18 fewer than the previous year. After reaching a record high of 208 overdose deaths in 2021, the county’s count has gradually declined to 174 in 2022, 145 in 2023 and 89 in 2024, prior reporting said.