DANGEROUS

Thousands of Candy-Like Fentanyl Pills Seized at U.S. Border

The brightly colored pills may be “the start of a trend with Transnational Criminal Organizations targeting younger users,” authorities said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than 15,000 brightly colored fentanyl pills that looked like candy on Wednesday, the agency tweeted. The pills, which were found strapped to the legs of a person, were apprehended at the Arizona-Mexico border. “Second consecutive day colored fentanyl pills with the appearance of candy seized. This could be the start of a trend with Transnational Criminal Organizations targeting younger users,” the agency warned. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. It can be used for severe pain treatment, but it is also easily abused and cut into other opioids like heroin, and it has caused an opioid overdose epidemic across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The presence of fentanyl has become more prevalent in the U.S. over the last few years, with the Arizona border patrol seizing 2,600 pounds of the drug in 2021 compared to 3,005 pounds so far this year.