Teen's Overdose Linked to Cychlorphine, a Potent Synthetic Opioid

<p>Dante Paul Lacourte, a 16-year-old, was found dead in his bed from an overdose. His mother initially believed fentanyl was the cause, but toxicology results indicated he had consumed cychlorphine, a synthetic opioid estimated to be up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl.</p><p>The drug traces back to compounds developed in a Belgian lab during the 1960s for severe pain management, but were never approved for medical use due to safety concerns. Keith Humphreys, a psychiatry professor at Stanford University, noted that the research on these compounds is now accessible on the internet.</p><p>Lacourte’s death was the first recorded instance of cychlorphine in a San Francisco medical examiner's report. His friend, Leo Wingate, stated that Lacourte struggled with depression and anxiety and often obtained drugs from the Tenderloin neighborhood, despite knowing the risks of fentanyl contamination.</p><p>Lacourte’s mother had warned him about the dangers of drug use, stating, “It just takes one pill.” Following his death in April, police used evidence from his phone and pills found in his bedroom to conduct undercover drug purchases, leading to the arrest of four individuals on felony charges: Leander Pitts, 46; Starr Lamare, 39; Sharonnee Hyson, 44; and Nicholas Wallace, 46. The location of Wallace's arrest was approximately a 10-minute walk from where Lacourte died.</p><p>Authorities seized around 20,000 pills during the investigation and have found pills testing positive for cychlorphine in other unrelated arrests, indicating its presence in San Francisco's illicit drug market. After Lacourte's death, the Trump administration issued a warning about the potential spread of cychlorphine across the country. Federal officials reported that the drug has been detected in at least 10 states, including California, Texas, and Ohio, with at least 55 deaths linked to it since 2025. Cychlorphine poses a challenge for detection, as it is not identified by standard fentanyl test strips or routine opioid urine screens.</p>