Dangerous and Potentially Fatal Illicitly Manufactured Fentanyl Pills Seized in Lakeport
The Lakeport Police Department issued the following Press Release in regards to a recent drug seizure.
“Earlier this year during a narcotic sales investigation case, Lakeport Police seized a batch of approximately 100 pills which were marked as and appeared to be Pharmaceutical Oxycodone tablets. As part of our follow up investigation, the pills were sent to the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Forensic Services for analysis. A sample from the batch was chemically analyzed and found to contain Fentanyl and no oxycodone was detected. The pills were marked with the letter “M” and the number “30” which is consistent with a legitimately manufactured Oxycodone pill.
Based on all of the information we currently have, we believe that these pills were being possessed and transported for sale in our community. Additionally we believe that these pills were probably manufactured with a larger batch somewhere outside of the community and possibly outside of the United States.
We have in the past been issuing fentanyl warnings and are alerting the community in this case because these types of pills are very dangerous and possibly fatal. A lethal dose of Fentanyl is estimated to be about two milligrams. While we do not currently know how much Fentanyl might be contained in each of our seized pills, we do know from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that pills seized in the United States and similar to this have been found to contain lethal doses of Fentanyl. In fact the DEA has advised in a November 4, 2019 media release: “Based on a sampling of tablets seized nationwide between January and March 2019, DEA found that 27 percent contained potentially lethal doses of fentanyl.”
We have alerted our Partners at Lake County Prevention and SafeRx Lake County and asked them to share this information. Photo of pills seized in Lakeport attached.
See the aforementioned Full DEA release and Fentanyl Signature Profiling Program below:
DEA issues warning over counterfeit prescription pills from Mexico
WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration is alerting the public of dangerous counterfeit pills killing Americans. Mexican drug cartels are manufacturing mass quantities of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid that is lethal in minute doses, for distribution throughout North America.
Based on a sampling of tablets seized nationwide between January and March 2019, DEA found that 27 percent contained potentially lethal doses of fentanyl.
“Capitalizing on the opioid epidemic and prescription drug abuse in the United States, drug trafficking organizations are now sending counterfeit pills made with fentanyl in bulk to the United States for distribution,” said DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon. “Counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl and fentanyl-laced heroin are responsible for thousands of opioid-related deaths in the United States each year.”
Fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids remain the primary driver behind the ongoing opioid crisis, with fentanyl involved in more deaths than any other illicit drug.
A lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be about two milligrams, but can vary based on an individual’s body size, tolerance, amount of previous usage and other factors. The full Fentanyl Signature Profiling Program Report on the recent drug sampling and testing is available here: https://admin.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2019-10/DEA_Fentanyl_Signature_Profiling_Program_Report-Oct-2019.pdf.”
