Police, Federal Agents Discuss Concerns About Fentanyl in Pasadena as Halloween Looms

Federal officials and local law enforcement agents are cautioning the public to be on the lookout for fentanyl this halloween.

“Fentanyl has no place in our community outside of a laboratory or medical setting,” said Interim Police Chief Jason Clawson. “All too often, people who utilize illicit drugs, ingest unknown substances that cause injury or accidental death. Drug dealers may not care what they distribute to the random community in order to make a fast dollar, so users put their life on the line during every transaction.”

Several school age children have overdosed on Rainbow Fentanyl. 

The US Drug Enforcement Administration put out a public service announcement on Aug. 30, warning the colorful opioid is made to look like candy to children and young people.

In 2020, seven overdoses in one week resulted in four deaths.

“Luckily the Pasadena Police Department’s elite Special Investigation Section was able to identify the dealer and she has since been sentenced to prison.”

“This needs to stop and it can through prevention, education and treatment, while we find ways to divert the addicted away from incarceration and into community based organizations or resources that can help those affected by this ever growing illness. Please educate our children of any age, on the inherent dangers of illicit drugs and intervene with those who are fighting this evil and daily sobriety.”    

Investigators from the Pasadena Police Department’s Major Narcotics/Special Investigations Section seized approximately 328,000 fentanyl pills earlier this year in a case that lead them to Central California.

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 after the drugs were recovered. 

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’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.