December 21, 2022
Source/DEA
Rainbow fentanyl pills have become more common in the United States over the past year, according to the DEA. Authorities allegedly seized 10,000 pills of the deadly, candy-colored synthetic opioid from a Florida man in Mount Laurel, New Jersey on Monday.
A Daytona Beach man is facing drug charges after authorities seized 10,000 rainbow fentanyl pills from him outside of a Walmart in Mount Laurel on Monday, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said.
Shane Smith, 33, was arrested at the store on Route 73 following a joint investigation by local, state and federal officials.
In recent months, the DEA has seized candy-colored "rainbow fentanyl" pills in numerous states. The deadly synthetic opioid, which has supplanted heroin as the nation's leading source of drug deaths, is described by the DEA as 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
Fentanyl is often produced in pill form to disguise the substance as a prescription drug. Blue pills mimicking 30 mg oxycodone tablets have been around for years. There is no evidence that different pill colors correspond to different dose levels, according to DEA lab tests, but the agency's "One Pill Can Kill" campaign underscores that any fentanyl pill consumption can be lethal.
The pills allegedly seized from Smith are worth about $40,000 on the street, officials said.
Any comments or questions can be sent to commentspd@mountlaurelpd.org
Posted by Mount Laurel Police Department on Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Most of the fentanyl available in the United States is supplied by two criminal drug networks, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Mexico, according to the DEA.
In October, a Trenton woman was busted in New York City with 15,000 rainbow fentanyl pills that she allegedly had concealed inside a LEGO box.
Among the 107,622 Americans who died of drug overdoses in 2021, 66% of those deaths were linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Philadelphia, officials said Tuesday that they have created an overdose prevention and community healing fund that will provide $3.5 million in grants to community-based organizations in the city. The money comes from a series of opioid settlements reached with drug manufacturers and pharmacies as a result of litigation brought by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.
Philadelphia reported 1,276 fatal drug overdoses in 2021, the highest annual death toll on record. Fentanyl was found in 77% of all overdose deaths, including 94% of overdose deaths involving opioids of any kind.
New Jersey will receive $641 million for harm reduction and drug addiction treatment as a result of the $26 billion nationwide settlement reached last year with three pharmaceutical opioid distributors and drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. New Jersey recorded 3,081 suspected drug overdose deaths last year, an increase of 1% over 2020.
Smith has been charged with two counts of distribution of a controlled dangerous substance. He's being held at the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly ahead of a detention hearing in Superior Court.
