Synthetic drug from China flooding into USA

A warning is being issued about a new drug called "Pink" that is more powerful than heroin and becoming just as popular.

Experts claim that it is seven times more powerful than heroin and so deadly the DEA issued an emergency ban.

The chemical name for Pink is U47700.  It was a failed lab trial painkiller created decades ago and never tested on humans.  And now, with the opioid addiction epidemic in the country, it's finding a new and growing customer base.

Users can purchase the drug in powder or pill form on the internet.  Most of it comes from China but since it's synthetic, it can be made anywhere.

There have been overdose deaths in at least half a dozen states so far and the number is rising.  Earlier this month, the DEA added U47700 to the Schedule 1 list of illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine.

The DEA is urgently trying to make people aware of the drug's dangers.  It's joining with other law enforcement and health professionals for a public forum at Pace Law School in White Plains on Thursday Night.