City leaders receive briefing on entry of fentanyl, opioids into Houston

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police found carfentanil, a compound related to fentanyl, being trafficked in printer ink bottles earlier this year. The U.S. says most fentanyl and related drugs come to North American from China. less The Royal Canadian Mounted Police found carfentanil, a compound related to fentanyl, being trafficked in printer ink bottles earlier this year. The U.S. says most fentanyl and related drugs come to North ... more Photo: HOGP Photo: HOGP Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close City leaders receive briefing on entry of fentanyl, opioids into Houston 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

High-powered opioids have Houston city officials worried.

The influx of the drugs into Houston has forced law enforcement agencies to abandon roadside drug testing, reconsider how they handle drugs during vehicle stops and elsewhere, and retool their litmus for probable cause when asking prosecutors to accept charges on drug arrests.

"Fentanyl was a game changer for us," HPD Capt. Paul Follis told council members Tuesday morning.

He stressed the need to equip Houston patrol officers with protective equipment.

The briefing comes as fatal fentanyl-related overdoses have more than doubled across the country in recent years - to more than 2,000 deaths in 2014 and 2015. A presidential commission recently told President Donald J. Trump to declare the opioid epidemic a "national emergency," and that "America is enduring a death toll equal to September 11th every three weeks."

Houston Forensic Science Center President Peter Stout said the extreme potency of Fentanyl and Carfentanil was especially concerning.

"You could breathe in enough and it would be a lethal dose... you could get [enough] on your fingers, and touch your tongue, or rub your eye to absorb through the mucous membrane, and you're in trouble," he said. "This stuff is really, really scary," he said. The lab has seen one case involving carfentanil and 23 other fentanyl cases with 7 different types of the substance.

The city council's public safety and homeland security committee asked for an update from the Houston Police Department about the drug's spread into Houston and the department's recent decision to end roadside drug tests.

"We need to protect our police officers from accidental exposure to such drugs," said Brenda Stardig, chair of the committee, promising to speak with her colleagues and the mayor to find funding for the protective gear.

"I think they need all the tools and resources to protect them and the public," she said.

In May, Pasadena police seized eight kilograms of the drug, prompting that department to immediately halt roadside drug testing. In July, Houston police officers seized 11 additional kilograms of the substance -- from dealers who thought they were actually peddling or transporting heroin, he said.

Records from the police department show 26 people died from Fentanyl in 2016.

Law enforcement agencies around the nation have become much more cautious about handling the substances after reports that officers were sickened by accidental exposure to the drugs. The recent influx of drug so alarmed local law enforcement that the Houston Police Department and other agencies announced they would halt roadside drug testing.

Fears about the potent opioids also prompted the Harris County Sheriff's Office to equip its deputies with Narcan.

Read HPD's full presentation to the council below:

St. John Barned-Smith covers public safety and major breaking news for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send tips to st.john.smith@chron.com.