A drug 5,000 times stronger than heroin has started actively spreading in Russia
Narcotic substances containing carfentanil have started to spread actively in Russia. This conclusion can be drawn from the statistics of detentions of drug couriers with this substance, Izvestia found out.
Until 2024, cases of carfentanil detection in Russia were isolated. But last year, law enforcement agencies carried out about 10 such detentions. And since the beginning of 2025, there have already been at least four such operations.
According to Izvestia's calculations, based on official sources of information, last year at least 1 kg of substances containing carfentanil were seized, in 2025 - about 100 grams.
Carfentanil was synthesized in 1974 by Janssen as a tranquilizer for large animals - elephants, rhinos and so on. The Janssen study states that this substance is 5,000 times stronger than heroin and 10,000 times stronger than morphine.
UN Office on Drugs and Crime reports call carfentanil the most potent of the commercially available opioids in the world. The lethal dose for humans is only 2 mcg. It is sold on the black market in mixtures with other substances.
The last case of seizure was recorded in April 2025. Police officers in the Altai region seized 20 bags of a substance containing carfentanil with a total weight of about 47 grams from a 27-year-old local resident.
Most often the dangerous drug was seized in Siberia, the Urals and the Far East. The territorial factor of its distribution is not accidental, explained Izvestiya's source familiar with the schemes of distribution of banned substances on the darknet.
"These are shipments from China, which is considered one of the main producers of this substance. Because of its high concentration, it is not transported in kilograms. Which means it is difficult to detect the drug at the border," he said.
Read more in the exclusive material "Izvestia":
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
