GBI issues public safety alert: Transdermal drugs found in counterfeit pills

A meeting was held with the metro Atlanta Drug Enforcement Commanders on Tuesday, May 30, to discuss officer safety and handling of extremely dangerous drugs being encountered at the GBI Crime Laboratory, including synthetic opioids found in counterfeit pills. “Graveyard dead,” was the warning GBI Director Vernon Keenan gave during today’s public safety meeting on the dangers of the use and abuse of synthetic opioids, with a heavy emphasis on fentanyl and fentanyl derivatives. The attached alert was prompted by a recent study by the GBI Crime Laboratory which found imitation prescription pills that contained deadly opioids.

Dan Salter, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Atlanta and Jack Killorin, Director of the Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), were also in attendance and joined with the GBI in alerting officers and the public about this issue.

GBI issues data on counterfeit pills study

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) earlier had issued a public safety alert regarding counterfeit pills. Since January 2015, the crime lab has received 454 exhibits of counterfeit pills. Counterfeit pills contain drugs other than those indicated by the markings. For example, the crime lab received a pill with markings consistent with oxycodone. However, the lab determined that the pill contained fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, and U-47700 (pink). This alarming discovery resulted in an internal study to determine the contents of counterfeit pills submitted to the lab by law enforcement agencies in Georgia.

The study revealed that Metro-Atlanta has the most instances in the state. By a significant margin, the top counterfeited logos represent alprazolam (Xanax) and oxycodone. The two most common substances found within the counterfeit tablets were depressants and opiates. Of particular concern were transdermal drugs in the opiate drug class that were disguised as oxycodone, a nontransdermal drug. In 2017 so far, there were 8 fentanyl, 6 furanyl fentanyl, and 15 U-47700 (pink) pills that were embossed as nontransdermal drugs.

Should you come in contact with an opioid and an overdose is suspected, administer Naloxone immediately and call 911. It should be noted that multiple doses of Naloxone may be required. U-47700 or furanylfentanyl may cause symptoms such as shallow breathing, pinpoint pupils, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, lethargy, clammy, cold skin, loss of consciousness, and or heart failure.