(NewsNation) — Officials identified the first case of “rainbow fentanyl” in Ohio.
In a report Friday, 1,025 brightly colored pills, also known as rainbow fentanyl, were seized in Columbus as part of a drug-trafficking investigation.
“Do not be fooled by appearances – rainbow fentanyl is death disguised as candy,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “The bottom line is this: If you’re taking a pill that wasn’t prescribed by your doctor, you can’t be certain of what you are consuming.”
What exactly is rainbow fentanyl?
So-called “rainbow fentanyl” mimics other illicit pills but is made to look like candy and appeal to young people, DEA representatives said in a news release over the summer.
In August, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a warning about the colorful substance.
“Rainbow fentanyl — fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes — is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults,” DEA administrator Anne Milgram said in a statement. “The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentanyl and defeat the Mexican drug cartels that are responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in the United States.”
Two milligrams of fentanyl are considered a lethal dose.