HUNTINGTON — West Virginians should be aware of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, experts say, after a large batch of “rainbow fentanyl” pills resembling candy was seized by officers with the Mon Metro Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force in Morgantown last month, according to federal prosecutors.
U.S. Attorney William Thompson, who serves the Southern District of West Virginia, said while he has not seen these pills resembling candy in the Southern District yet, he expects to see them in the near future.
“We’re preparing basically by making law enforcement aware of it if they do come across it. We’ve pushed out some information of what it looks like, what to expect,” he said. “It is fentanyl, which we’re dealing with fentanyl on a daily basis anyway, so we’ve got a standard set up for how we want to handle those.”
Thompson said there has been a lot of information shared from the Drug Enforcement Administration to help educate local police officers on the pills, and they are making an effort to figure out where the fentanyl supply is coming from.
According to Thompson, the product found in Morgantown came from California and across the border from Mexico.
“We’ve had the problem with addiction for many, many years. We’re seen as a state that unfortunately would be a target-rich environment for people who want to sell fentanyl,” he said.
Data from the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy shows that in 2021 there were 635 fatal overdoses from opioid abuse, with 91% of them involving fentanyl.
Thompson said fentanyl is seized on an almost daily basis in West Virginia, and has become one of his top priorities when dealing with drug offenses.
According to the DEA, 18 states across the country, including in the Northern District in West Virginia, have reported seeing the brightly colored and highly addictive counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the CDC. This is what has led pharmaceutical experts at West Virginia University to caution “one pill can kill” in spreading education about fentanyl.
Despite the drug’s lethality, to illicit drug manufacturers, producing the synthetic substance is attractive because of its strength, it is relatively cheap and it does not require growing poppies like heroin, meaning it can be made in a lab.
“One of the profound things with fentanyl is it is so potent that you need less of it, so when one starts thinking about the shipping and receiving part of the business, it’s certainly easier to ship something that fits in an envelope or small, little box as compared to an entire truckload of another substance that would have relatively the same potency when combined. It just makes it easier to disperse everywhere,” Mark Garofoli, clinical assistant professor at West Virginia University’s School of Pharmacy, said.
Due to fentanyl’s potency, it is usually cut with another substance to become usable, Thompson said, but the potency of these drugs could help manufacturers stand out from their competition.
“We’re finding fentanyl involved in everything from marijuana to methamphetamine or heroin. It’s been cut with just about every type of illicit drug out there right now, and a lot of it is to give them more potency,” he said.
Now, officers are finding fentanyl in substances resembling prescription pills and even those that look like candy, which the DEA warns could be used to target young people.
In 2020, data from the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy showed that over 170 overdose deaths in West Virginia were people ages 29 and under.
“They’re trying to make counterfeit pills that look like maybe an Oxy 30 or something of that nature, which is actually pure fentanyl, which is a much higher dosage, and the phrase ‘one pill can kill’ is very true. People do need to be aware of it. They are bright, shiny things. People need to be aware that any pill they would ever take that doesn’t come from a licensed medical provider could be considered pure fentanyl,” Thompson said.
A statistic from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 71,238 Americans died in 2021 as a result of a fentanyl-related overdose.
Garofoli said there needs to be more conversations about the dangers of substance abuse, as addiction affects everyone, everywhere. Garofoli uses his platform at WVU to promote this education.
“It’s like any other business. It’s infiltrating towns everywhere; and sadly, business is good. That’s why it keeps spreading,” he said.
Aug. 31 was International Overdose Awareness Day, and to commemorate the day, Garofoli gave a lecture about illegal drugs. He said the School of Pharmacy also sends student pharmacists to high schools throughout the state to make presentations and have discussions with students to raise awareness.
“This particular seizure (in Morgantown), and any one like it, is a reminder — a very grave reminder — that these types of illegal drugs are everywhere. But it’s definitely not a message of doom and gloom or anything that’s sensationalized,” Garofoli said. “It’s just a very big reminder that we need to have some more conversations to spread this information that could literally immediately save lives.”
