There's a drug that's fueling a growing crisis of overdose deaths, and it's not fentanyl.

A new substance is emerging in illicit drug markets.

It's the most deadly drug you've probably never heard of.

It's an opioid called netazines. A synthetic opioid is so potent that this makes fentanyl look weak.

And it's been killing hundreds of people.

Super Strength synthetic opioid drugs linked to hundreds of deaths

have been found in samples of fake medicines sold online.

The drug has led to deaths and overdoses all over the world,

from West Africa to Australia, even some in the US.

But it's had the most impact in Europe.

Europe for a long time has kind of evaded the type of opioid crisis

that has hit the US and that the US has been suffering under four for three decades now.

That's our colleague Suna Rosmussen, who covers security and organized crime.

And once these nitzisines started hitting the streets of Europe and overdoses just shot up in those countries and those communities where

they landed. I think a lot of people watching this stuff was concerned about whether this might

be Europe's opioid moment. Welcome to The Journal, our show about money, business, and power.

I'm Jessica Mendoza.

It's Tuesday, August 12th.

Coming up on the show, the drug you've never heard of that's wreaking havoc across Europe.

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