Fentanyl was found in 94% of used syringes tested in Plovdiv, a study by the European Union Agency for Drugs and Drug Abuse shows. Between 2024 and 2025, the substance was linked to over 100 deaths in Bulgaria. Initially, deaths and hospitalizations were mainly reported in Sofia, but in 2025 they were also registered in other cities, Nova News reports.
The founder of the Center for Humane Policies “Pink House“ Yulia Georgieva said that the organization has been monitoring the entry of fentanyl into the Bulgarian market since 2024. She pointed out that warnings about the danger have been issued since then.
“The data is truly terrifying“, Georgieva said.According to Georgieva, among those using fentanyl there are people who previously used heroin. She also reported cases in which the substance was added to a leaf mass for smoking, without the knowledge of the people who used it.
There is still no study on which age groups are most affected. Thus, there is a lack of data on the exact profile of people at greatest risk.
A National Strategy for Combating Drugs has been adopted in Bulgaria, but according to Georgieva, it has not yet worked. She is urgently calling for an antidote for fentanyl, saying it is not on the list of approved medicines and is unavailable.
The European Drugs Agency also identifies the limited availability of harm reduction services as a problem, including the lack of home-use naloxone programmes. Naloxone is a medication used in emergency response to opioid overdoses.