The Drug Enforcement Administration recovered 15,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl pills in what is believed to be the largest seizure of the drug in NYC history.
As detailed by the DEA in a news release, 48-year-old New Jersey woman Latesha Bush has been accused of attempting to traffic a large quantity of the potent drug inside a Lego box. The drugs were candy-colored, and featured “M” and “30” on them in an effort to resemble 30 mg Oxycodone Hydrochloride pills. Per CNN, Bush pleaded guilty last week to charges of first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Bush was arrested on September 28 as part of an ongoing investigation into narcotics trafficking. She was seen getting into a vehicle with two black tote bags, one of which contained the Lego box with the pills. She was later arraigned on September 30 in Manhattan Criminal Court, with bail set at $25,000. DEA laboratory analysis of the seized drugs have yet to be confirmed, but preliminary tests confirmed there was fentanyl in the pills.
“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.”
New York Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell added that the drug as was described as “candy” contained in “children’s toys.” Investigators said that the pills are believed to have originated in Mexico. “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,” added the DEA in the news release.
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