Counterfeit Oxycodone Could Lead To Overdose, Death: Cops

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Police are warning residents about a dangerous new trend that could prove deadly — pills marked as oxycodone that are actually fentanyl.

According to Suffolk County police, during a recent narcotics investigations, detectives seized pills purported to be oxycodone that were in actuality comprised of fentanyl. The counterfeit pills had the markings of 30 mg. oxycodone and were meant for sale in the illegal narcotics market, police said.

Fentanyl, police said, is a Schedule II opioid analgesic that is up to 1,000 times more potent than morphine; ingestion may result in overdose and death.

Those buying the pills might be unable to distinguish between the counterfeit pills and authentic, prescription oxycodone, police said.

"The Suffolk County Police Department is committed to bringing to justice the dealers who destroy not only the lives of the addicted but of their families as well," a release said.

To report drug activity anonymously, call 631-852-NARC.

It's the second time in recent months that authorities have issued a warning about dangerous drugs on the street in Suffolk County.

In late May, Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini said cocaine laced with potentially fatal levels of fentanyl could be on the market in Suffolk County; the DA issued an urgent public safety alert about the "deadly drug cocktail."

Sini spoke out to warn residents about the possible heightened risk of overdose for drug users due to the fentanyl-laced cocaine after receiving intelligence that the "poison" might be available locally.

"My office is investigating whether the presence of a deadly mixture of fentanyl-laced cocaine is responsible for causing overdoses in Suffolk County," Sini said, before Memorial Day. "We are issuing a 'buyer beware' notice for the holiday weekend and the upcoming weeks. If you use cocaine, you are playing Russian roulette with your life."

The White House's high intensity frug trafficking areas/New York/New Jersey program issued a report stating that law enforcement in Troy, NY, was investigating 19 overdoses, three of which were fatal, in less than 48 hours involving fentanyl-laced cocaine, Sini said.

Additional overdoses in the surrounding areas were also being investigated for any links to the fentanyl-laced cocaine in Troy, he said.

"These reports have led to a heightened concern that this deadly drug cocktail could be on the streets in Suffolk County," Sini said. "The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a shortage of the supply of cocaine in our area. As a result, dealers are becoming desperate and greedy for profits, so we believe they may be deceiving their customers and selling them fentanyl, which is cheaper and more readily available."

In May, Sini announced that the district attorney's office and the Suffolk County Police Department arrested and charged 15 individuals for their alleged involvement in a multi-million dollar drug trafficking ring. The evidence in that case revealed that the individuals were marking up the price of cocaine because of the supply shortage due to the pandemic, Sini said.

"Preliminary statistics show a 16 percent increase in fatal and non-fatal overdoses year-to-date as compared to 2019 in Suffolk County, so we are already seeing an increase," Sini said. "We do not want to lose even more lives to this poison."

Prevention advocates agreed that the pandemic sparked an uptick in overdoses.

"We are seeing the same anecdotal evidence of an upswing in overdoses," Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, president and chief executive officer of the Family and Children's Association in Mineola, said.

"Fear, anxiety, depression combined with canceled treatment appointments and a disrupted drug supply have created a perfect storm. There are lots of folks struggling under the weight of a substance use pandemic that's been overshadowed by COVID-19 and while we've been focused on an emergent problem, addiction has only deepened. Street prices have increased, supply has shifted and desperate drug users staving off withdrawal symptoms are taking chances and mixing substances they wouldn't have before. Many are funding their way to online support groups, but too many are suffering alone."