Print Fentanyl-related overdoses have been on the rise in San Diego County in the past few years and are projected to total 700 by the end of this year, county authorities announced Wednesday. The numbers come from the county Medical Examiner’s Office, which is predicting a 50 percent increase in deaths from 2020 to 2021. In the previous two years, fentanyl-related overdoses more than doubled. So far this year, there have been 131 fentanyl-related deaths in the county, according to a spokesperson for the Medical Examiner’s Office. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug used in illicit street drugs and counterfeit pills. It can also be used legally by medical professionals for pain relief and anesthesia. It is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.