We have no admissions or diagnosis of fentanyl intoxication at hospital level, said the official on Wednesday, after local media reported alerts in Guayaquil of people with symptoms similar to the addiction to this synthetic opioid, among consumers of the so-called “hashish”.

However, Ruales clarified that the only reported case of discomfort from fentanyl is a patient to whom it was administered in a “normal, commercial” way after medical evaluation.

He acknowledged that there are those who present symptoms associated with fentanyl, but “it is not yet identified”.

The illicit commercialization of this substance, its distribution and especially its mixture with other drugs, is a matter of great concern, warned Ruales.

As for the reports of a black market of this drug in social networks, he said that this is under the responsibility of the National Agency for Regulation, Control and Health Surveillance (ARCSA).

The growth of drug trafficking and drug consumption in Ecuador gave way to warnings on the subject, mainly because fentanyl can be 50 times more stronger than heroin and those who consume it could die from overdose with a small amount.

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