Fake Oxycodone pills linked to 6 deaths in Oklahoma
An investigation is underway into fake Oxycodone pills circulating in the state that have been linked to six Oklahoma deaths, t he Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control announced Wednesday.
“Most of the pills were blue in color and stamped to look like 30 mil ligram Oxycodone," said agency spokesman Mark Woodward. "Side- byside, it would be hard for anyone to tell the difference. We are concerned there are more of these pills circulating on the streets and we could see additional overdose victims.”
The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics began investigating the counterfeit prescription pills in early May after two individuals overdosed and died in central Oklahoma, Woodward said.
At least six more Oklahomans have overdosed on the same type of fake Oxycodone pills since that time and four of them died, he said.
Tests on the fake pills revealed the presence
off en tanyl, which Woodward described as "a powerful and cheap drug that can be 100 to 1000 times more potent t han Morphine or heroin."
"It is sold on the black market and used by drug organizations as a filler in heroin or pressed into pills that resemble legitimate U.S. pharmaceuticals,” Woodward said.
The over doses occurred in communities in south central, southern and southwestern Oklahoma," he said.
Three people have been arrested and several
hundred fake Oxycodone pills have been seized since the investigation began, Woodward said.
The agency declined to release the names of individuals who have been arrested or more information about the deaths, saying that information is part of an ongoing investigation.
Narcotics inv es tigators believe there are additional people involved in the distri but ion of the pills, Woodward said. They and are asking anyone with information to contact their agency at 800-522-8031.