Fentanyl Deaths and Overdoses Increase in Clay County

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office urges parents to talk their children about the dangers of acquiring prescription medication from sources other than a licensed pharmacy.

The Sheriff’s Office reports that counterfeit prescription pills made with Fentanyl are an increasing threat in Clay County. Deputies are continually investigating many of these cases involving the deaths and overdoses of teens and young adults. 

“For the first time since 2015, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a public safety alert, and it's about this threat,” reported the Sheriff’s Office. “The DEA has seized more than 9.5 million of these counterfeit pills so far this year, which is more than the last two years combined.” 

Fake pills laced with Fentanyl can found on social media and e-commerce sites, and the DEA has determined that 40% of these pills contain a lethal dose of fentanyl. The pills are deceiving because they look like real prescription drugs, and people can’t tell the difference between these pills and real medication. 

More information about how the drugs can be found at dea.gov/onepill. If someone has information about people who are distributing these pills, contact the Sheriff’s Office at sheriffdrugtaskforce@claycountymo.gov.

KPGZ News - Brain Watts contributed to this story