Yolo County is reporting one more death related to counterfeit pain pills containing fentanyl. This brings up the regional death toll to 13, with 53 known overdoses.
John Martin, a Sacramento DEA agent, spoke with Beth Ruyak on Insight about the epidemic yesterday. He said much of the deadly drug originates in Asia.
“To a large extent, fentanyl is being made in China and being shipped to Mexico-based drug cartels, there, the white powder can either be pressed into pills and brought up into the Southwest border,” Martin explained. “It can also be pressed into tablets here in California.”
People are particularly susceptible to overdose because they don’t know they’re taking such a powerful drug.
“These counterfeit pills can be very well made. The pill presses and the dyes can be made to look exactly like original pills. Sometimes there might be a slight variation, but to a normal person, the citizen out there, they wouldn’t know.”
Symptoms of an opioid overdose may include unresponsiveness, trouble breathing, skin that turns blue, vomiting and pinpoint pupils.
- Capital Public Radio Staff
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