Warning issued over sale of illegal substances pressed to look like prescription pills

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Monday, March 22, 2021
Warning issued over sale of illegal substances pressed to look like prescription pills
Authorities on Long Island issues an urgent public safety announcement on Sunday, warning residents about the sale of illicit substances pressed to look like prescription pills.

HAUPPAUGE, Long Island (WABC) -- Authorities on Long Island issues an urgent public safety announcement on Sunday, warning residents about the sale of illicit substances pressed to look like prescription pills.

It includes an emerging trend of methamphetamine pressed into pills and marketed as Adderall.

Also observed over the past several years is fentanyl pressed and marketed as pills like oxycodone.

Suffolk County Attorney Timothy Sini says the alarming trend is putting users' lives at risk. He released a statement saying,

"Any time a substance is branded for illicit sale as something other than what it is, it poses severe safety risks. The unintended ingestion of meth or fentanyl to an unsuspecting user can easily be fatal, which is why we're sounding the alarm and letting residents know that these pills are already in circulation in our area."

Three alleged drug dealers peddling these types of pills were arrested in the last four days. Authorities say they will prosecute anyone selling the pills to the fullest extent of the law - including homicide charges if the pills lead to a fatal overdose.

ALSO READ | 'Amityville Horror' killer Ronald DeFeo Jr. dies in prison

Ronald DeFeo Jr. was convicted of killing his entire family inside their Amityville home in 1974.

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