The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning America of a new, colorful pill making its way into U.S. communities that has the potential to kill any person (or child) who consumes it.
“Rainbow fentanyl” is being seized at the nation’s borders from drug smugglers, but plenty more is heading into the United States and being dispersed nationwide. The DEA found these new pills in 18 states in August alone.
“Rainbow fentanyl — fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes — is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults. 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,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram in a Tuesday statement.
The DEA said the trend was especially “alarming” because it “appears to be a new method used by drug cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl made to look like candy to children and young people.”
FIRE DEPARTMENT IN TEXAS BORDER COUNTY RECOVERING BODIES OF MIGRANT EVERY DAY
The warning comes days after federal customs officers at ports of entry on the southern border made separate discoveries of the rainbow pills while inspecting traffic attempting to enter the United States from Mexico.
On Aug. 17, Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations officers at the Nogales, Arizona, port of entry seized 15,000 rainbow fentanyl pills that were taped to a pedestrian’s legs and another 250,000 of the pills in a separate seizure that week.
8/17 CBP officers #Nogales POE seized over 15,000 fentanyl pills strapped to a person’s legs. Second consecutive day colored fentanyl pills with the appearance of candy seized .This could be the start of a trend with Transnational Criminal Organizations targeting younger users. pic.twitter.com/y5KT5Zveop
— Port Director Michael W. Humphries (@CBPPortDirNOG) August 18, 2022
The Mexican-based Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel manufacture the fentanyl, the DEA said. The cartels obtain ingredients from Chinese entities and also use Chinese connections to launder profits from within the U.S. back to Mexico.
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Fentanyl was the leading cause behind last year’s record-high fatal drug overdose numbers in the U.S. More than 107,000 people in the U.S. died of an overdose in 2021, with 66% of deaths the result of intaking synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Fentanyl is the top cause of death among adults between 18 and 45 years old.
.@CBP officers at the Port of Nogales AZ seized a vehicle containing:
Over 250,000 fentanyl pills (some of which were different colors, similar to the appearance of candy)
11 LBS heroin
10 LBS methOfficers made sure these dangerous narcotics won’t make it to U.S. cities! pic.twitter.com/wzf9D0BYEB
— Port Director Michael W. Humphries (@CBPPortDirNOG) August 17, 2022
