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Parents are being urged to keep vigilant about what candy their children are picking up for Halloween amid an influx of deadly fentanyl hidden in sweet wrappers.
A Washington State Coroner is calling for parents to be ‘very prudent’, because the drugs could be ‘fatal for children’ if they come into contact with them.
Thousands of rainbow fentanyl pills have flooded the US this year, with federal drug agents warning that they could be a potential danger to children going trick-or-treating.
Twenty-six states have seen the dangerous drugs seized by the DEA, with police forces also warning about the dangers ahead of October 31.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office say the pills are 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice has not yet seen the rainbow drug in any investigations of overdose deaths but is concerned that they will soon arrive in the area.
Speaking to DailyMail.com he warned parents to look out for the signs of a fentanyl overdose over the Halloween weekend, including struggling to breathe and collapsing.
He said: ‘The big concern is if kids get a hold of this stuff. It seems like they make the different colors also to try to lessen the perception of how lethal it is.
Twenty-six states have seen the dangerous drugs seized by the DEA, with police forces also warning about the dangers ahead of October 31
The deadly drugs have been smuggled in and confiscated by authorities, who discovered them in various candy wrappers
Parents should be ‘vigilant’ across the Halloween weekend, and look through their children’s candy thoroughly
‘It could be fatal for children, most definitely. The best thing for parents to do is be very prudent and look through their kid’s candy.
‘If they see loose powder or anything that resembles the rainbow-colored fentanyl, it would probably be best to discard the whole container.
‘That stuff can be in the air, if someone inhales it can definitely affect somebody that way too. If they see any kid with any kind of pills they don’t have a prescription for, they should ask questions and get rid of them’
Across the country police, coroners, elected officials and a regional Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) spokeswoman are urging people to be cautious in the run up to the spooky holiday.
Omaha DEA spokeswoman Emily Murray is also calling for caution, saying that its ‘not worth the risk’ to take something that ‘doesn’t look like it’s in the original packaging.
She added: ‘When I was young, it used to be you were afraid that someone was going to stick a needle in a Snickers bar.
‘Now, obviously, this is a whole new game but still a scary threat. It is important to check your kids’ candy because this fentanyl, this rainbow fentanyl that’s coming across, it is made to look like bright colors that kids are going to be attracted to.
‘We all have positive, wonderful thoughts about our friends or family, whoever it may be.
Tuolumne County Sheriff’s office warned that the trend has been ‘increasing’ in recent months with the drugs found in candy wrappers
Across the country police, coroners, elected officials and a regional Drug Enforcement Administration spokeswoman are urging people to be cautious in the run up to the spooky holiday
Thousands of rainbow fentanyl pills have flooded the US this year, with federal drug agents warning that they could be a potential danger to children going trick-or-treating
Republican Senators are also warning parents across the country about the dangers of the drug, urging them to be on the lookout at head of Halloween – describing it as the ‘deadliest’ ever
‘But if you don’t know 100 percent where that product is coming from, in this day and age, unfortunately, it’s just too big of a risk to take.’
Tuolumne County Sheriff’s office warned that the trend has been ‘increasing’ in recent months with the drugs found in candy wrappers.
Urging parents to stay vigilant, a spokesman said: ‘With Halloween approaching, parents should make sure they are checking their kids candy and not allowing them to eat anything until it has been inspected by them.
‘If you find anything in candy boxes that you believe might be narcotics, do not touch it and immediately notify your local law enforcement agency.
‘Parents, please stay vigilant and take the time to educate your kids about the dangers of drugs!’
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in upstate New York also confirmed they have seen rainbow fentanyl.
Deputy Michael Favata explaining the pills are 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
More than 22lb of the drug in powdered form worth an estimated $9million was found in a Bronx apartment inside of a LEGO toy box
Parents are being urged to dispose of their children’s entire bag of candy if they see any pills or powder that resemble the killer drug
He is also urging parents to check their kids candy, telling parents they should be ‘ripping everything open’ to make sure they are safe.
Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice has not yet seen the rainbow drug in any investigations of overdose deaths but is concerned that they will soon arrive in the area
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department found 12,000 suspected pills inside of candy and snack bags at LAX on Wednesday.
Officers found the killer pills inside the SweeTARTS, Skittles, and Whoppers boxes, and have since identified the suspect who fled the airport.
Republican Senators are also warning parents across the country about the dangers of the drug, urging them to be on the lookout at head of Halloween – describing it as the ‘deadliest’ ever.
Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said in a video warning about the drugs that ‘just one pill can kill’, while others told parents to set a curfew and to only trick-or-treat with ‘trusted friends and neighbours.
Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn added: ‘The powerful drug cartels are coming after your kids, your neighbors, your students, your family members, and your friends.
‘No one is spared as fake pills laced with fentanyl are beginning to look like candy in an effort to lure young Americans.’
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram has said there is not a direct link between the drugs and Halloween but if that changes they will issue a public safety alert
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department found 12,000 suspected pills inside of candy and snack bags at LAX on Wednesday
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram warned that cartels are using colorful and enticing new packaging to try and get younger people hooked on the highly-dangerous drugs.
She said that the colorful drugs are a ‘deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction’ – but would not confirm if there was a direct link between the drugs and Halloween.
However, she added that if there were any changes to that stance, then they would be alerting the public.
Milgram added: ‘The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentanyl and defeat the Mexican drug cartels that are responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in the United States.’
The latest Customs and Border Protection data shows that, in the year to August, 12,900lbs of fentanyl has been seized.
It is more than for the entire of 2021 – in which 11,200lbs were confiscated- and shows that three times more fentanyl was seized in the first eight months of this year than in the entire year for 2020 – and more than four times the total for 2019.
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