San Francisco streets are reeling from deadly drug 20x more powerful than fentanyl

Nypost · Jun 05, 2026 · 710 words · By Ben Chapman

Urban Decay Law Enforcement and Safety Public Health Crisis

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Ready to play

Daily briefing

What to know about Urban Decay

San Francisco streets are reeling from deadly drug 20x more powerful than fentanyl See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

San Francisco streets are reeling from deadly drug 20x more powerful than fentanyl See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The California Post on GoogleThe streets of San Francisco are awash with a new drug called ISO that’s twenty times more potent than deadly fentanyl – and officials are sounding the alarm.

Common ground

The killer counterfeit opioid isotonitazene – known on the streets as ISO – claimed its first life in the drug-ravaged city in April, San Francisco Health Department officials said in an alert issued that month.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Urban Decay story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Officials with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration last month issued a new warning about ISO and other synthetic drugs that the DEA says may be mixed with fentanyl?
How does this story connect Urban Decay with Law Enforcement and Safety over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/05/us-news/san-francisco-streets-are-reeling-from-dea…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 85% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

schedule Pending 4

verified Verified By Reference 3

verified Verified 2

check_circle

Claim 1: “Officials with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration last month issued a new warning about ISO and other synthetic drugs that the DEA says may be mixed with fentanyl.”

CORROBORATED

Web results confirm DEA warnings regarding isotonitazene and its presence mixed with other drugs like heroin or fentanyl.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Mar 16, 2022 ... Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning Floridians of a new, deadly synthetic opioid found in Florida called Isotonitazene—commonly referred to ...
https://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrelease/1pck-ag-moody-war…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Feb 24, 2023 ... Synthetic opioid use is nearly twice as likely to lead to an overdose death compared with prescription opioids or heroin [1, 2]. The low ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9950705/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2022 ... DEA regional forensic laboratories have seen this drug mixed into heroin and/or fentanyl (and marketed as common street drugs) with deadly ...
https://www.dea.gov/stories/2022/2022-06/2022-06-01/new-dang…

verified

Claim 2: “ISO is not approved for medical use and has no industrial use.”

VERIFIED

Evidence from a drug information source states that nitazenes were synthesized in the 1950s but 'never gained approval for any clinical use', supporting the claim that it has no approved medical use.

schedule

Claim 3: “Los Angeles health officials blame fentanyl for just over half of all drug and alcohol deaths in the city.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 4: “The DEA has counted more than 900 reports of isotonitazene since it was initially identified by the agency in 2019, including 42 records in 2019, a peak of 358 reports in 2021, and 43 reports in 2024”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 5: “The streets of San Francisco are awash with a new drug called ISO that’s twenty times more potent than deadly fentanyl”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm that isotonitazene (ISO) is present in San Francisco and is approximately 20 times more potent than fentanyl.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Opioids are a class of drugs that derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the opium poppy plant. Opioids work on opioid receptors in the brain and other organs to produce a variety of morph…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — San Francisco streets reeling from nitazene drug 20 times more powerful than fentanyl.~20× — more potent than fentanyl — isotonitazene (ISO), the nitazene now found in San Francisco's drug supply · So…
https://civicintelligence.news/society/crime-problem/sf-drug…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A new deadly drug is showing up on the streets of San Francisco and it's poised to push the overdose death toll even higher.Berlinn is referring to Isotonitazene, also known as …
https://abc7news.com/isotonitazene-iso-fentanyl-opioid/12788…

+ 1 more evidence source

verified

Claim 6: “According to the DEA, ISO initially emerged in U.S. illicit drug markets in 2019, when it was first identified in seizures of illegal drugs by law enforcement.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence contains general Wikipedia entries for the DEA and CSA, but no specific evidence confirming the 2019 emergence date of ISO in U.S. markets.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is the statute establishing federal U.S. drug policy under which the manufacture, importation, possession, use, and distribution of certain substances is regulated.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking and distribution within …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_Enforcement_Administratio…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar (July 26, 1947 – February 9, 1985) was a Mexican-American agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In February 1985, Camarena was kidnapped by police officer…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiki_Camarena

check_circle

Claim 7: “users who OD on the drugs may not be responsive to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources indicate that ultra-potent opioids like isotonitazene may require multiple doses of naloxone or may be less responsive to it compared to standard opioids.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Carfentanil, protonitazene, and isotonitazene are three new synthetic opioids that negatively contribute to the opioid pandemic. The potency and effectiveness of these synthetic opioids significantly …
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9950705/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Naloxone does not reverse alpha-2 agonists, and ultra-potent opioids may require multiple administrations of naloxone before seeing any symptom changes.1-4 No targeted antidotes currently exist for th…
https://asra.com/news-publications/asra-newsletter/newslette…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — N-Desethyl Isotonitazene is a highly potent synthetic opioid, estimated to be 20–40 times stronger than fentanyl based on early evidence.Synthetic opioid overdoses may require a higher dose of naloxon…
https://recovered.org/opioids/synthetic-opioids/n-desethyl-i…

check_circle

Claim 8: “According to the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education, isotonitazene, which is also known as Nitazine, is roughly 20 times more potent than fentanyl.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including a specific reference to the Center for Forensic Science Research & Education, state that isotonitazene is roughly 20 times more potent than fentanyl.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — A body farm is a research facility where decomposition of humans and animals can be studied in a variety of settings. The initial facility was conceived by anthropologist William M. Bass in 1981 at th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_farm

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Forensic science, often known as criminalistics, is the application of science principles and methods to support decision-making related to rules or law, generally criminal and civil law. During crimi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forensic_science

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — National Forensic Science University, New Delhi (Lok Nayak Jayprakash Narayan National Institute of Criminology & Forensic Science) is the campus of the National Forensic Sciences University and an In…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lok_Nayak_Jayaprakash_Narayan_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 9: “San Francisco health officials said ISO was blended with another synthetic opioid called cychlorphine in the overdose death announced April 23.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim contains irrelevant results (Microsoft, 1906 earthquake) and does not mention the April 23 overdose or the blend of ISO and cychlorphine.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — San Francisco Centre is a defunct enclosed shopping mall located in San Francisco, California, United States. The mall opened in 1988, was significantly expanded in 2006, and closed in 2026. There are…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Centre

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the coast of Northern California at 05:12 am Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. With a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), it created high-in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_San_Francisco_earthquake

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Driver: San Francisco is a 2011 action-adventure driving video game developed by Ubisoft Reflections and published by Ubisoft. It is the fifth main installment in the Driver series, following Driver: …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver:_San_Francisco

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 10: “The killer counterfeit opioid isotonitazene – known on the streets as ISO – claimed its first life in the drug-ravaged city in April, San Francisco Health Department officials said in an alert issued that month.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the general presence of ISO in SF is corroborated, the specific evidence provided for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about the SF Health Department and unrelated search results; no specific alert from April regarding the first death was found in the provided evidence.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), previously called as the San Francisco Health Department, is the public health department of the city of San Francisco, California in the US. It …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Department_of_Pu…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The San Francisco General Hospital (formally known as the Priscilla and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center) is a public hospital in San Francisco, California, under the S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_General_Hospital

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The San Francisco Sheriff's Office (SFSO), officially the City and County of San Francisco Sheriff's Office, is the sheriff's office for the City and County of San Francisco. The current sheriff is Pa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Sheriff's_Office

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 11: “the two synthetic opioids would not show up in tests that indicate the presence of fentanyl”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources explicitly state that isotonitazene and cychlorphine are undetectable by standard fentanyl test strips/kits.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — This “killer counterfeit” opioid is cheap, undetectable by fentanyl tests, and can be lethal in a single dose.Berlinn said the rise of ISO is particularly threatening because the drug is so powerful a…
https://nypost.com/2026/06/05/us-news/san-francisco-streets-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Cychlorphine and N-Desethyl Isotonitazene, another synthetic opioid, remain undetectable by standard fentanyl test strips. Health officials warn that counterfeit pills mimic the appearance of pharmacy…
https://locallytimes.com/sfo/article/san-francisco-medical-e…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — “Any reason why e.g. isotonitazene is not in the list of opioids?,” tweeted toxicology professor Christophe Stove of Ghent University, regarding the DEA’s first quarter report. “Not found in seized ma…
https://filtermag.org/isotonitezene/

schedule

Claim 12: “the DEA said in another bulletin issued on the drug in December 2025.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 13: “Law enforcement officials in Los Angeles said ISO has not yet become a threat in California’s biggest city”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 14: “It may be smoked, used intravenously or taken in a pill.”

VERIFIED

Authoritative medical/drug information sources confirm isotonitazene can be administered via oral ingestion (pills), intravenous injection, and insufflation (which aligns with smoking/inhaling synthetic opioids).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Isotonitazene is a synthetic opioid analgesic drug from the nitazene class and structural homolog of etonitazene, which has been sold as a designer drug.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotonitazene

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Administration: Can be administered through oral ingestion, insufflation (snorting), intravenous injection, or transdermal absorption.Pure isotonitazene is typically a crystalline or powdery substance…
https://www.j-initiative.org/isotonitazene-1/isotonitazene

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Isotonitazene is a potent synthetic opioid and belongs to the 2-benzylbenzimidazole-opioid drug class commonly known as “nitazenes.” The 2-benzylbenzimidazole-opioids were initially synthesized in the…
https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/isotonitaz…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.