Drug bust in Scranton finds more suspected 'tranq dope'

Jun. 16—A Scranton man caught this week in an undercover drug bust in South Side told Lackawanna County detectives his dope had been spiked with animal tranquilizer.

Shaking, Michael Murphy told the narcotics detectives the four wax-paper bags stamped "Barry Bonds" found in his wallet contained drugs mixed with xylazine.

The animal tranquilizer is increasingly being mixed with fentanyl to create a cocktail called "tranq dope."

The tranquilizer lengthens the opioid's euphoric high but users can develop skin ulcers that excrete puss, cause infection and destroy tissue.

Earlier this year, Gov. Josh Shapiro moved to limit access to xylazine by temporarily scheduling it as a controlled substance.

Murphy, 41, told narcotics detectives his drugs had "horse stuff" in them and that it was "rough," according to a criminal complaint.

Investigators sealed and secured the drugs for further analysis at a state police drug laboratory.

The state police began identifying and reporting xylazine in drug analyses in 2017, officials have said.

Murphy, whose listed residence is the same as the mailing address of Scranton's Salvation Army office, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing June 28 on counts of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

He is jailed at the Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $2,500 bail.

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