This is a photo of pure carfentanil. Just touching it can be lethal.

The Kent County Sheriff Department is warning people about a deadly new drug turning up in Kent County.

Over the past two weeks, in three separate cases, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office has encountered heroin that likely contained the drug carfentanil. Carfentanil is a Schedule II controlled substance opioid that is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl.

Carfentanil is typically used as a tranquilizer for large animals such as elephants. This substance could lead to tens-to-hundreds of overdoses in a short amount of time within the same geographic region. Administering Narcan, which is commonly known to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, to someone that has ingested carfentanil may not be effective and additional doses may be required.

If you come across an unknown substance and chemical, use extreme caution as people and animals can absorb carfentanil and fentanyl via skin contact, inhalation, oral exposure or ingestion. Symptoms such as disorientation, coughing, sedation, respiratory distress or cardiac arrest typically occur within minutes of exposure. Incidental contact with this substance can also be lethal.