Amarillo residents are being advised to exercise caution due to the appearance of lethal, counterfeit pills that were intercepted en route Amarillo.
Officials with the Amarillo Police Department say that the APD Narcotics Unit was made aware that an agency had intercepted about 2,000 pills that were en route to Amarillo. The counterfeit pills, which are sold illegally as Xanax, contain fentanyl. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is about thirty to fifty times as potent as heroin. Side effects include addiction, respiratory depression and arrest, unconsciousness, coma and death.
The counterfeit pills headed for Amarillo contained unpredictable amounts of the drug. The DEA considers 2 milligrams as a lethal dose for most persons.
APD officials say that the drugs are described as being white or yellow and are refferred to as "school buses" or "yellow school buses." Sellers have previously targeted young athletes, claiming the pills will improve sleep and recovery to enhance athletic performance. Anyone who purchases pills sold on the street as Xanax or any other substance is risking overdose and death, officials say.
However, information related to these pills does not apply to pills obtained legally from licensed pharmacies.
For more information, please visit police.amarillo.gov.
Photo by KFDA