Cyclopropyl Fentanyl, a fatally-potent synthetic drug, has been seized in a Monmouth County in what was initially suspected to be an Oxycodone bust for the third time this year, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.

“Persons buying these drugs on the black market are in grave danger,” Gramiccioni said. “This substance is lethal.”

Earlier this year, the Neptune Township Police Department seized 30 pills suspected to be Oxycodone during an investigation at the Crystal Inn. At the time of the incident, the deadly pills were believed to be legitimate, pharmaceutical Oxycodone pills. Lab analysis, however, determined the pills contained Cyclopropyl Fentanyl.

The identification of Cyclopropyl Fentanyl in this most recent case represents the third such drug seizure this year in Monmouth County, according to the New Jersey State Police. This deadly drug, in a pill form, is made to look like legitimate Oxycodone tablets.

Earlier this month, the Office announced the seizure of similar drugs in separate police investigations in Long Branch and Holmdel. Those drugs were illicitly manufactured into pill form and imprinted with markings A/215, simulating legitimate Oxycodone tablets.

“No one should be buying drugs in an illicit manner, but it’s important to know how to distinguish the deadly phony drugs from the real thing,” Gramiccioni said. “These pills look and feel only slightly smaller and the coloring is off by just a shade. It bears repeating: If you are buying these pills on the street, you are playing a deadly version of Russian roulette.

“The arrival of Carfentanil and Cyclopropyl Fentanyl is a tragic development in the opiate crisis we are already facing — especially for those suffering with an opiate addiction in Monmouth County. Although these counterfeit pills appear to be Oxycodone, they can have deadly consequences.”

Carfentanil is a powerful synthetic opiate that is 10,000 times more potent than Morphine and 100 times more potent than Fentanyl. A single granule of Carfentanil, which has been approved only for veterinary uses, can be deadly to humans.

The drug is so toxic that a recent Drug Enforcement Administration Safety Alert has been issued to law enforcement officers and first responders who may be exposed to Carfentanil as a result of accidental physical contact or inhalation.

Cyclopropyl Fentanyl, another Fentanyl derivative, is not intended for human or veterinary use and has been linked to a rash of fatal overdoses across the country earlier this summer.