Pasadena Police Seize 328,000 Fentanyl Pills, Some “Candy Colored,” Alert Parents to Be Watchful of Candy Children Bring Home at Halloween

Pasadena police said Thursday that on Sept. 24 investigators from the Department’s Major Narcotics/Special Investigations Section seized approximately 328,000 fentanyl pills, 2 kilos of cocaine, and a ghost gun during an ongoing narcotics investigation. 

Within the seized contraband, investigators found several packages of candy-colored fentanyl pills, according to police.

“This candy-colored fentanyl, dubbed ‘rainbow fentanyl’ in the media, appears to be a new method used by drug cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl to children and young people,” police said in a statement.

“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,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. 

Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country, officials said. According to the CDC, 107,622 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, with 66 percent of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. 

In 2022, the Pasadena Police Department’s Major Narcotics/Special Investigations  Section, in collaboration with local and federal agencies, has seized approximately 708,500  fentanyl pills and 31.5 kilos of fentanyl alone, according to police.

In a statement, Pasadena police urged community members to call 911 immediately if they encounter fentanyl in any form.

“We urge parents to be especially careful with the candy their children bring home during the upcoming Halloween festivities,” police officials said.