Emerging Threats Worse Than Fentanyl Emerge in Chicago Area Drugs

As overdose deaths decline nationwide, new synthetic opioids like carfentanil and nitazenes pose growing dangers in the region.

Published on Feb. 5, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

As the nation sees a two-year decline in overdose deaths, federal drug investigators and outreach organizations are warning of new emerging threats in Chicago-area street drugs that could be even more lethal than fentanyl. Substances like carfentanil and nitazenes, which are up to 100 times stronger than fentanyl, are showing up in the region's illicit drug supply, putting users at risk of overdose. Authorities suspect a drop in fentanyl potency is creating an opening for these new synthetic opioids to proliferate.

Why it matters

The Chicago area has been hit hard by the opioid crisis, and while recent declines in overdose deaths offer some hope, the emergence of even more potent synthetic drugs threatens to undo that progress. These new substances can be missed on routine toxicology screens, putting overdose patients at risk of being misdiagnosed or undertreated. Harm reduction groups warn the drug supply remains volatile, and the community must remain vigilant to prevent further loss of life.

The details

Federal agents have seized over 100,000 carfentanil pills in the Chicago region in the last two years, and data shows carfentanil and nitazene-related deaths in Cook County have more than doubled in 2025 compared to 2024. The DEA lab in Chicago has also detected a drop in the purity of fentanyl, with 29% of counterfeit pills now containing a lethal amount, down from as high as 70% just a few years ago. Authorities believe this shift in the drug supply could be contributing to the recent decline in overdose deaths, but warn that new threats like carfentanil and nitazenes could quickly reverse that progress.

  • Over the course of the last two years, the DEA Chicago Field Division has seized over 100,000 carfentanil pills.
  • Carfentanil and nitazene-related deaths in Cook County have more than doubled in 2025 compared to 2024.

The players

Carissa Felbar

An outreach coordinator with Liv4Lali, an organization providing substance use harm reduction, who lost her brother Matt and several other friends to the drug epidemic.

Laura Fry

The executive director of Live4Lali, a harm reduction organization in the Chicago metro area.

Tood Smith

The Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Chicago Field Division.

Laurie Summers

The Will County Coroner who says as opioid overdose deaths have gone down, new and more lethal drug combinations adulterating cocaine are becoming more common and poisoning users.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“You can make positive choices for yourself starting now and it can be testing and seeing what is in it.”

— Carissa Felbar, outreach coordinator, Liv4Lali (abc7chicago.com)

“So the cartels, the people who make these drugs and distribute them will find something new that will catch someone's addiction and fuel it.”

— Laura Fry, executive director, Live4Lali (abc7chicago.com)

“Whether its nitazines or whether it's carfentanils in very small amounts can really undo a lot of the work that's we've done in short order.”

— Tood Smith, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Chicago Field Division (abc7chicago.com)

“I am just worried, because it can all be invented. It'll be something new, and Narcan is not going to fix everything, but it has helped.”

— Laurie Summers, Will County Coroner (abc7chicago.com)

“I'm very scared because I've seen it, we're already losing momentum. The supply is still out there; the demand is still out there. There are not less people using drugs.”

— Laura Fry, executive director, Live4Lali (abc7chicago.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This report highlights the volatile and evolving nature of the drug crisis in the Chicago area, with new synthetic opioids emerging that are even more potent and dangerous than fentanyl. While recent declines in overdose deaths offer some hope, harm reduction groups warn that the drug supply remains unstable, and the community must remain vigilant to prevent further loss of life and a potential reversal of the progress made.