Urgent fentanyl warning issued as cops link deaths of 16 kids under 18 to counterfeit pills laced with deadly drug
AN urgent warning has been issued over fentanyl as police link the deaths of 16 children to the deadly drug.
As summer vacation approaches, police are urging teens to avoid counterfeit pills laced with the drug to stop further fatalities.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department sounded the alarm on Monday, saying that a rising number of young people are dying in Clark County.
According to statistics released by the department, the county saw a 196 percent increase in fentanyl related deaths between 2019 and 2020.
And in 2020 and 2021, 16 children under 18 years old died of fentanyl overdoses.
"Detectives say many of the victims had no idea what was in the pills they took," police said in a news release.
Las Vegas police are launching a social media campaign to warn parents and teens about the dangers of counterfeit pills.
The new campaign targets middle schoolers, who are trying pills without realizing the deadly consequences.
The Drug Enforcement Administration says that 40 percent of counterfeit pills coming into the country contain high amounts of fentanyl.
Many of these drugs are coming across the Mexico border.
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The police department said that many teens think they are taking a prescription pill but in reality, it contains deadly amounts of fentanyl.
The new social media campaign urges teens to only take pills prescribed to them by a doctor.
Las Vegas police compiled videos detailing how serious fentanyl and other drug-related deaths are.
One video, depicting the dangers of , says that teens who partake in the activity are in danger of killing themselves along with their friends.
Another explores the statement: "It's just a pill."
The last video shows just how small of an amount of fentanyl it takes to kill someone.
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Parents are encouraged to share the videos with their children.
Police officers are also encouraging teens to share the videos with their friends to spread the message.
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