A Rockdale County man has been indicted on drug charges after federal officials accused him of selling a deadly fentanyl-based drug cocktail called “tranq” to two men, one of whom died.
Masi Leonard Fears, 36, of Conyers, was arraigned on federal charges of distributing a controlled substance resulting in serious bodily injury or death, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Ryan K. Buchanan said. In a statement, the U.S. Attorney called the emergence of tranq in his district “beyond alarming.”
Fears was also charged by Conyers police with counts of felony murder and felony violation of probation, online jail records show.
According to Buchanan, Fears met the two victims at a Conyers gas station in March 2021 and sold them a powdery substance for $20 that the men believed was either cocaine or heroin. Officials said the drug was actually tranq, also known as tranq dope, a lethal combination of fentanyl and xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer that is not approved for human consumption.
The two men used some of the tranq and immediately overdosed, Buchanan said. One died suddenly, while the other was seriously injured.
Conyers police were able to identify Fears, who has a lengthy rap sheet that includes prior drug charges, and take him into custody, Buchanan said. At the time of his arrest, Fears was in possession of a loaded handgun, which resulted in additional charges due to his status as a felon, the U.S. Attorney added.
“The use of illicit fentanyl is already deadly, and now drug dealers seek to increase their unlawful profits by mixing fentanyl with xylazine — a powerful sedative used by veterinarians,” Buchanan said.
“Adding xylazine to an already dangerous drug like illicit fentanyl illustrates the ruthlessness of drug dealers’ pursuit of higher profits,” DEA Agent Robert J. Murphy said.
The DEA has seized tranq mixtures in 48 states, according to a recent agency report. Officials say the addition of tranq into the illegal drug supply is worsening the already severe opioid and fentanyl crisis.
The addition of xylazine to illicit fentanyl supplies can cause serious wounds when injected, and it often knocks users out because it is a sedative, The New York Times reported earlier this year. The necrosis caused by tranq can lead to amputations if users don’t seek quick medical attention, according to the DEA. Because xylazine is a sedative, Narcan and other typical treatments used for opioid overdoses are not effective at reviving victims.
Withdrawals from tranq are also especially brutal, according to the Times, with symptoms that include migraines, double vision, sweats and severe anxiety. Despite the horrifying effects, addicts return to tranq to manage their withdrawal symptoms, which medical professionals are still struggling to understand.
Fears was already on probation from a prior prison sentence when he was booked into the Rockdale jail in September 2021, according to online records. After his arrest, he was transferred back to state prison, where he remains.
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