Fentanyl is taking a deadly toll in Poland. A series of deaths in Mazovia

In Żuromin, located in Masovia, the deaths of young people no longer surprise anyone. Five people have lost their lives since the beginning of this year alone. According to residents, the problem is easily accessible fentanyl.

Young residents of Żuromin, seeing no life prospects, often go to the capital or abroad. Of those who remain, many die prematurely.

36-year-old Paweł Karpiński died a few weeks ago.

– Paweł was a withdrawn, calm, but at the same time friendly person. He had many friends, everyone in the class liked him, recalls Adam Ejnik.

Mr. Adam was Paweł’s teacher in primary school, but he is also a local journalist. For years, he has been fighting drug and drug addiction, which is a real plague among young residents of Żuromin. A plague that has claimed dozens, if not hundreds, of lives over the course of 15 years.

– Already in 2015, my colleagues and I counted and found out that 30-40 people died. These people were very young, 20-30 years old, says Adam Ejnik.

Fentanyl kills in Żuromin

According to his relatives, Paweł may have taken fentanyl before his death.

Fentanyl is an extremely strong painkiller with a narcotic effect that is 50 times stronger than heroin. It’s cheap and easy to overdose. In the US, it has become the deadliest drug in recent years, with over 700,000 victims.

In Żuromin, drug addicts buy it in the form of painkillers and turn it into a liquid for injection into a vein.

Paweł’s fiancée tried to break her partner’s addiction.

– Paweł tried to get over it several times and after three weeks he was struggling with it all. At some point, however, it turned out to be stronger than him. That’s why we decided to leave to get away from Żuromin – says Monika.

His fiancée persuaded Paweł to go to England together. Thanks to his escape from Żuromin, the man was on the mend: the couple was planning a wedding, and Monika became pregnant. In February, they flew together to Poland for a while to attend the funeral of Paweł’s aunt.

– We arrived, everything was OK. But he saw him [dilera – red.] and he went to him. Got it from him. I know that, says Monika.

The dealer from whom the man allegedly got the drug is – according to Paweł’s relatives – the most famous drug seller in the city. Customers are to make an appointment with him by phone in the stairwell of his block, called the “pharmacy” by the residents.

– Everyone knows about it, the police know it too. No one reacts, no one does anything. And he is the king and lord – we hear from one of the residents.

– I saw my son going in and out there several times. He denied it and claimed he wasn’t taking anything. That it was for a friend – says the mother of the deceased Paweł.

– It’s in every small town. We had a situation in Żuromin where dealers showed up at village parties. Wherever there is a meeting or a mass gathering, someone always has something. From medicines to crystals – says Piotr Wlizło, therapist and social activist.

Death of Paul

– First thing in the morning at 9 my brother came home with a friend and told me to sit down. They said that Paweł was dead, that he was in a cage – says Paweł’s fiancée.

– I flew to this block, but I didn’t see my son anymore because they were carrying him out in a bag. I fainted, admits Paweł’s mother.

– They opened the bag and showed it to me. It was him, all blue, says Monika. She adds: – I started shouting to the prosecutors that it was him who killed him, the dealer. I screamed that he had these people’s blood on his hands.

We observed the staircase of the alleged dealer for several hours. During this time, nearly twenty young people visited him. All meetings lasted only a moment.

– I work in this estate. I see several people a day coming in and out. And what they look like later – says Mrs. Jadwiga, mother of the deceased Paweł.

– Recently they also found a dead body in another block of flats, the boy was 37 years old. Now my son has died, and those who died before will have no fingers or toes. 3 or 4 people died in February, the woman adds.

How do the police fight dealers?

– Each time an investigation is conducted under the supervision of the prosecutor’s office. However, to the best of my knowledge, no person has been charged with contributing to the death of these people – says Asp. Tomasz Łopiński from the District Police Headquarters in Żuromin.

– The names of the dealers are well known, especially one. Why wasn’t anything done about this man? – asked the reporter.

– Quite recently, an action took place with the participation of this person, his place of residence was searched. However, the activities undertaken by the criminal department did not lead to obtaining evidence that this person had prohibited substances – says Asp. Tomasz Łopiński.

– There are two people in the police who deal with drugs. Are they able to…? If you don’t know how, if you don’t know, or if there aren’t enough of us, then you ask for help, says Adam Ejnik.

We managed to reach a man who, according to our interlocutors, is involved in trade.

– Fentanyl? Never heard about it. I have not administered any fentanyl to anyone. (…) I have never been accused, I never had anything in my hand – he said.

And what does a man convey to people who come to his cage?

– And this is my business, between me and these people. (…) I didn’t kill anyone and I didn’t give anything to anyone, he states.

-Death awaits everyone here. I’m watching this. These are not only dysfunctional families, these are families of doctors and teachers, these are families of company directors. This applies to everyone, says Adam Ejnik.

– Something has to be done about it, because it is happening on a large scale. And a lot of people die. If this program does not help, I will continue to fight it as long as I have strength, says Mrs. Jadwiga, mother of the late Paweł.

Episode 7437 other reports Notes! can be watched on player.pl

Author: according to

Reporter: Tomasz Patora

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