NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A drug smuggler hid a stash of rainbow-colored fentanyl pills inside a box of “Classic LEGOs” intercepted by the Drug Enforcement Administration last week, the agency announced Tuesday.
“Rainbow fentanyl is a clear and present danger, and it is here in New York City,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. “Approximately forty percent of the pills we analyze in our lab contain a lethal dose; and in a recent 15-week enforcement operation, DEA New York seized half a million lethal pills. These staggering statistics underscore the importance of reminding the public that just one pill can kill; and this operation alone removed the equivalent of 500,000 lethal doses of fentanyl from circulation in the Empire State. In the same reporting period, DEA seized the equivalent of over 36 million lethal doses nationally.”
On Wednesday, a surveillance group following narcotics trafficking saw Latesha Bush allegedly carrying what looked to be a black tote bag wrapped around a large object as she got into a vehicle near Hudson Yards around 7 p.m., authorities said.
The vehicle was stopped by agents where they found Bush in the backseat with two black tote bags and a yellow LEGO container. Inside the LEGO box they found several brick-shaped packages covered in black tape beside LEGO blocks which turned out to be a stash of about 15,000 pills, officials said.
“Disguising fentanyl as candy – and concealing it in children’s toys – will never hide the fact that fentanyl is a deadly poison that harms our communities, our families, and our city,” said Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell. “The criminal complaint unsealed today is another example of the NYPD’s relentless commitment to never stop working to rid New York City of illegal drugs and I want to thank the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York, the DEA New York Division, the New York State Police, and everyone else involved in this case for their exceptional work.”
Investigators found out that Bush had driven from New Jersey to the city in order to retrieve the pills which were determined to originally be from Mexico.
Bush was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third Degrees. The bust was the largest seizure of fentanyl in the city to date, according to the DEA.
The fentanyl pills were imprinted with “M” and “30” so as to resemble “30 M”, Oxycodone Hydrochloride 30 mg pills and is allegedly the Mexican cartel’s latest attempt to deceive buyers.
“The Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel are mass-producing fentanyl pills in rainbow colors to not only brand their products, but use colors and dyes to mimic candy and/or legitimate prescription drugs,” the DEA said in a release.
Related
Related
