Dangerous street drug possibly being sold on Santa Cruz streets

A counterfeit version of the prescription drug Alprazolam is possibly being sold on the streets of Santa Cruz County, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office said the street form of the drug may be linked to two recent overdose deaths.

On October 24, the office said two Watsonville men possibly ingested what they thought was “Xanax” at a party. Both had to be rushed to Watsonville Community Hospital after a bad reaction. One of the men, 19 years old, had to be placed on life support and later died on October 30.

Then on October 27, the sheriff’s office reported that a 29-year-old man consumed what he believed to be “Zanax” and was found dead in his home the next day.

Toxicology reports and autopsies are still pending in both cases, but the sheriff’s office wants to advise the community to be careful.

Alprazolam is a benzodiazepine with brand names that include Niravam and Xanax.

The sheriff’s office also said San Francisco recently had three similar overdose deaths related to a street form of “Zanax.”