ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The City of Alexandria Police Department is warning the community about a recent spike in suspected fentanyl-related overdoses in school-aged kids.
The warning comes after reports from minors using a "little blue pill" they believed to be Percocet pills that were actually laced with fentanyl.
In a release issued by the City of Alexandria, officials said between April 1 and May 1, 12 opioid overdoses were reported to the city, six of those incidents involved people under the age of 17. No fatalities were reported and many of the victims were revived by first responders equipped with Narcan, according to the release.
"Any time we see that amount in such a short time and then you throw in juveniles being involved it makes us very very concerned," Captain Monica Lisle with the Alexandria Police Department said.
“It’s very serious," Lisle said. "You see it in neighboring jurisdictions, where they’ve had two fatalities that we know of, centering on the usage of this pill. But right now the message should be there’s no safe drug. There’s no safe pill unless it’s prescribed by a doctor and issued by a pharmacy. Fentanyl is everywhere right now. It’s in our communities, it’s in our schools and we have to be aware of that."
The counterfeit pills are blue and have an M inside a square to mimic an M30 tablet. Lisle said most juvenile cases reported either smoking or ingesting the blue bill purchased as a Percocet pill.
Percocet is a pain reliever usually containing oxycodone and acetaminophen, while fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
“It’s life or death right now. If they ingest the fentanyl there’s a good likelihood they’re going to overdose and without anything nearby as far as Narcan that can counteract the effects of the fentanyl there’s a high likelihood kids or even adults could die," Lisle said.
Lisle said the drugs are also inside schools and is something students and parents need to be aware of.
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"We have to be aware of that, students, parents, everyone needs to be aware of that. But there is no safe pill, there is no safe drug, it can be laced with fentanyl and it can be absolutely deadly," Lisle said.
The warning from Alexandria came hours after the Prince William County Police Department announced the seizure of several guns and more than 5,000 suspected counterfeit fentanyl-laced Percocet pills.
The Prince William County Police Department also announced the arrest of four men between the ages of 19 and 23, charged with crimes ranging from giving a firearm to a minor to possession with intent to distribute.
The arrests and seizures come one week after two teens are suspected to have died from an overdose as a result of taking fake Percocet pills that were laced with fentanyl.
On April 27, Prince William County Police said a 15-year-old had died in Woodbridge and a 14-year-old died in Dale City. They shared that both deaths appeared to have been connected to the counterfeit pills, known as "Perc30," that was actually laced with fentanyl.