PHILADELPHIA (ENN) - As reported in the Friday edition of this publication, 116 drug addicts were treated as of Friday night for becoming sick after taking a powerful heroin cocktail known as "Homicide" and "Super Buick." This "cocktail" is said to be made of a potent blend of heroin, cocaine, dextromethorphan, thiamine and scopolamine.
On Thursday night, it was reported that Philadelphia Police and ambulances rushed unconscious drug users from the streets, where they had literally fallen, to area hospitals. The hospitals quickly became swamped with patients and one hospital had to refuse all admissions for about four hours.
Hospital workers and doctors said that after each patient regained consciousness, about four people had to restrain them because they became violent. The violent patients had to be held down by straps, security guards, nurses, laundry workers and even motor pool employees.
A security guard at Philadelphia's Episcopal Hospital said, "It was like the front lines in 'Nam...like a MASH unit. Yelling... bodies coming in by the minute, cars zooming up, dropping junkies and taking off."
Police said that as of Friday evening, the drug addicts were still lining up to buy the drug. A captain in the Philadelphia Police narcotics unit said, "It's a double-edged sword. You want to warn people there's danger out there, but then some come in droves because they want to try some of that 'good stuff.'"
A doctor at Episcopal Hospital said, "They're not breathing when they come in, with a faint and irregular heartbeat. But when we administer Narcan, the scopolamine kicks in and they become wild."
The doctor said that by judging how fast the victims came in, he believes that the heroin cocktail was a deliberate bad batch that was put out onto the street to ruin a specific drug dealer. The doctor speculated, "You have fights between drug lords and sometimes one will try to poison the clients of another out of revenge."
Philadelphia Police deployed an additional 50 officers into the northern Philadelphia neighborhood. It is feared that the situation will repeat itself over the weekend after drug users receive their pay and welfare checks. Drug selling was reported to still be brisk on Friday.
ERRI has issued a on-going alert for Baltimore, MD, where EMS crews handled more than twenty cases of apparent drug overdoses, in a short period of time, on Friday night. According to Emergency Medical Service (EMS) sources, the overdoses in Baltimore may not be related to those in Philadelphia, as the heroin there does not contain the same ingredients as those striken in the city of "Brotherly Love." Investigations continue there.
The ERRI emergency service alert also now extends to New York City, New Jersey, Boston, Washington, DC and other cities in the Northwest corridor, where previous drug distribution patterns could suggest possible importation. In January and February of this year, a heroin mixture called "Polo" or "Death Shot" was believed to have been exported from Newark, NJ and into Philadelphia after more than 100 overdoses were reported in a 24 hour period in New Jersey. "Polo" was also a heroin/scopolamine mixture.
ERRI/ENN respectfully requests that it be notified of additional multi-patient incidents involving "Super Buick"/"Homicide", so that we can provide additional updates to emergency and news agencies. Please call, fax, or e-mail:
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