Credit: DEA
Rainbow-fentanyl-m30
NEW YORK (77WABC) — Fentanyl packaged like candy and placed into Lego boxes has become what federal drug agents on Tuesday called “every parent’s worst nightmare.”
The DEA and law enforcement partners announced the first significant seizure of so-called rainbow fentanyl. It happened on September 28 when agents and officers stopped a vehicle on the Manhattan side of the Lincoln Tunnel that contained 15,000 multi-colored pills.
The pills were imprinted with “30M” to resemble 30MG oxycodone hydrochloride pills, usually prescribed to treat severe pain.
Rainbow fentanyl began showing up on the streets on the west coast in February and has gradually made its way across the country. The multi-colored pills are similar looking to party drugs and are meant to be more appealing so Mexican cartels responsible for trafficking them can cultivate a new market among younger people.
The DEA says it seized 36 million lethal doses nationally after launching a 15-week enforcement and education campaign titled, “One Pill Can Kill.”
About 500,000 of those lethal doses were found in New York state.
