Counterfeits contain deadly fentanyl

The Dutchess County Drug Task Force has issued a warning about the increased amount of deadly fentanyl, particularly in counterfeit 30mg oxycodone pills.

The task force said that, since January, its officers have seized thousands of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl, including 2,000 in September. These pills are typically light blue and imprinted with M-30. Elsewhere, counterfeit oxycodone pills in various colors containing fentanyl were seized in other areas of the state.

Other narcotics seized by police, including heroin and cocaine, are also often contaminated with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent. As little as two milligrams can be lethal.

According to federal health authorities, two-thirds of the 107,622 overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2021 involved synthetic opioids. That included more than 100 fatalities in Dutchess, with fentanyl being involved in most, the task force said.

The Drug Task Force has a confidential tip line at 845-463-6040; anyone seeking assistance for addiction can call the county helpline at 845-485-9700.

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