Authorities reported an incident Monday at a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) facility where an employee was sickened while opening a piece of mail.
The Amarillo Fire Department said units from the Potter County Fire were dispatched to the William B. Clements unit at 1906 NE. 24th in Amarillo on Monday, Aug. 10. On the way, the first responders were notified that an employee at the prison had become sick after opening an envelope in the mailroom.
Potter County fire officials then requested for assistance from the AFD Haz-Mat Team, who found traces of Xylazine and reported it was confined to that room.
The affected employee was taken by AMS to the hospital with minor injuries.
Crews were still on the scene late Monday afternoon to monitor the situation until it is fully cleaned up, AFD said.
Xylazine is commonly called a tranquilizer, non-opioid animal tranquilizer not approved for human use. It is increasingly being mixed into illicit street drugs like fentanyl, and it can cause sedation and dangerous drops in heart rate and blood pressure. The drug can cause severe tissue wounds and complications during overdoses.
No further information was yet available. The situation at the Clements Unit remains active.
This is a developing story; more information will be added as it is gathered and released.
Nell Williams is a staff writer covering trends and other news for the Amarillo Globe-News. Have a story idea? Email her at nwilliams@usatodayco.com .
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Clements Unit employee sickened after opening mail envelope
Reporting by Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News | USA TODAY Network
