LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Elizabethtown Police Department is warning the public about counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl after a 17-year-old boy died from an overdose early Wednesday morning.
Authorities say the pills resemble legitimate Percocet but contain fentanyl.
Police say the batch of tainted drugs has been linked to multiple overdoses and at least one fatality. In a swift investigation, police identified and arrested a juvenile suspected of supplying the pills to the teenager. The suspect faces charges of first-degree manslaughter, trafficking in a controlled substance, and trafficking in marijuana.
Two adults were also arrested in connection with the case. Damian Felker, 18, of Elizabethtown, is charged with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, trafficking in marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Brandon Durbin, 36, also of Elizabethtown, faces charges of first-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Elizabethtown Police spokesperson Chris Denham highlighted the dangers of counterfeit pills, which are nearly indistinguishable from those manufactured by legitimate pharmaceutical companies.
“These tablets look much like those produced in a legitimate pharmaceutical operation,” Denham said. “But there are subtle differences—edges that aren’t quite as crisp.”
Police are urging anyone who has the counterfeit pills to turn them in, Denham says there will be no punishment for surrendering the drugs.
To combat the spread of counterfeit drugs, police spoke with students as young as sixth grade about the dangers of using drugs Wednesday morning.
“If you're a student at a school, you will not face any type of administrative discipline,” Denham said. “We want to get these off the streets so they do not cause any additional overdoses.”
Police encourage anyone with information about the laced pills to contact Hardin County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-597-8123.
"I urge you to have open and honest conversations with your family members, especially young people, about the extreme dangers of taking any medication that is not prescribed by a licensed physician, dispensed by a pharmacy, and taken as directed," Denham said on a Facebook post. "Ingesting medication from unknown or untrustworthy sources can have devastating, even fatal, consequences."
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