Fatal overdoses continued to increase in Connecticut during the first half of the year, with 560 confirmed deaths and 275 cases awaiting toxicology confirmation as of the middle of June, according to the state Department of Public Health.

There were 1,200 unintentional drug-overdose deaths in the state in 2019.

Of the overdose deaths, 82% involved the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl, with two emerging trends documented by the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

In 2019, fentanyl mixed with Xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer, appeared in Connecticut overdose victims for the first time, causing 71 deaths. The same combination continues to be present in overdose deaths so far this year, according to the Department of Public Health. A town-by-town breakdown was unavailable.

Cocaine mixed with fentanyl is a growing problem in the state and was the cause of death for 393 people in 2019, which was a 46% increase over the previous year, according to the medical examiner's statistics.

Tammy de la Cruz, president of Groton-based Community Speaks Out, said the organization is working with a family from southeastern Connecticut whose relative, a young man, died of an overdose of cocaine with fentanyl in the Branford area.

The man was using the drug with another person, who survived and reported that they thought it was straight cocaine, de la Cruz said.

Capt. Brian M. Wright of the New London Police Department said the cocaine/fentanyl mix has been present in the state for a few years but doesn't appear to have reached southeastern Connecticut in great numbers.

On the other hand, with drug dealers using cutting agents or adding substances such as fentanyl to stretch out their products and make them more potent, it's difficult for police to know exactly what's in a batch of drugs until somebody dies and their blood is screened for the presence of drugs, or toxins, during post-mortem examinations.

Police officers who seize illegal narcotics during investigations only test them in the field for one drug, based on the appearance of the drug or the parties involved, Wright said.

The danger is high for people who buy cocaine, a stimulant, and are unaware of the presence of fentanyl, a depressant, he said.

"While both increase pleasure, the mixed use really increases the euphoric effects of both drugs," Wright said. "Cocaine increases the energy level and decreases the need to sleep, while fentanyl promotes relaxation and a mellowing effect. If you take the two together, the chance of overdose increases. The cocaine amplifies the effect of the fentanyl."

As for the practice of drug dealers mixing fentanyl into cocaine to increase the volume and make it more potent, and addictive, "There's no honor among drug dealers," he said.

Wright said overdose cases in the city are not as numerous as they were at the onset of the opioid crisis five years ago but they still happen. When a death occurs, the police department continues to follow an evidence-preservation protocol enacted statewide in 2016 in an effort to determine the source of deadly narcotics, make arrests when possible and determine how much the distributors knew about the narcotics.

Norwich fire Chief Keith Wucik said the number of overdoses his department has covered in the downtown area has stayed constant, jumping for a while in June when a "bad batch" of drugs appeared to have arrived in the city, and then leveling off.

He noted that firefighters are wearing more protective gear now, including N95 masks, that also helps protect them from exposure to substances such as fentanyl, which can be deadly if accidentally touched or inhaled.

k.florin@theday.com