Recent fatal drug overdoses tied to counterfeit pills containing Fentanyl

By on Tuesday, May 4th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News Eastern/Southeast Oregon Top Stories

BAKER COUNTY – (Release issued by New Directions Northeast Oregon) Baker County Narcotics Enforcement Team and New Directions Northwest Mental Health and Crisis Response Partners Share Urgent Messaging Regarding Fatal Drug Overdoses Tied to Counterfeit Pills Containing Fentanyl 

Similar to other communities across the nation, Baker City emergency responders have confirmed three recent fatal overdoses tied to counterfeit opioid pills. The pills are laced with fentanyl, and are sometimes called “Blues” or “M30’s”.  

The Baker County Narcotics Enforcement Team consists of members from Baker City Police Department with support from the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, the Oregon State Police and the Baker County District Attorney’s Office. The primary focus of the Narcotics Team is to detect and apprehend drug manufacturers and traffickers. ‘While we recognize there are a variety of reasons for drug use we want to remind the public that we will actively pursue and prosecute individuals and/or organizations that continue to distribute dangerous narcotics to community members’, stated Ty Duby, Lieutenant with the Baker City Police Department. ‘We also want to remind folks that one can be held criminally liable for a death if they were the supplier of that substance’, Duby added. 

‘Our team currently sees methamphetamine and heroin, laced with fentanyl, as the number one drug problem in the Baker City area.  We do see pill use in the form of Oxycodone pills. We also have seen locally the blue pills that are most likely manufactured in Mexico made to look like oxy 30’s and they also have some fentanyl mixed in’, said Duby.  

‘We want individuals who use heroin or oxy 30 pills to know what’s truly in it.  Information on the street and lab tests are showing that more often than not the heroin also contains a certain amount of fentanyl.  In the last 6 months Baker City Police have responded to three known overdose deaths involving suspected heroin containing fentanyl. We are seeing certain individuals repeatedly overdosing. This last year one individual was saved by Baker City Police and Baker City Fire Department due to administering Narcan only to find the subject deceased 2 days later from another overdose.  All members of the Baker City Police Department carry Narcan’, stated Duby.  

The message? Anyone who is purchasing, borrowing, or using pills from any source other than a legitimate pharmacy should assume they are counterfeit. Right now we need help spreading the message. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is up to 50 times more potent than heroin, and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Even tiny doses, as little as two milligrams, the size of two grains of salt, is a fatal dose for most people. Again. The size of two grains of salt is fatal. 

New Directions Northwest, Inc. the county’s Mental Health Provider, which also oversees the 24/7 Mobile Crisis Response Team throughout the county, works closely with responders during crisis events. “We ask ourselves, why are people taking these pills? Over this past year, we have seen a trend in community members that are impacted by isolation, job loss, loss of housing, and the vicious cycle of a never ending pandemic – which in turn, leaves people feeling hopeless. Yet, rather than seeking help, which is available, some are self-medicating, and unfortunately, checking out. We need to end this. We need to get people the help they need, when they need it. Either through crisis response, in the moment of an event, along with the use of Naloxone (Narcan), or medical detox and crisis stabilization, or through prevention, with mental health services, and/or group therapy. “There is no shame in seeking help, we have professionals within our community that can make a difference, we want to save lives, and everyone MATTERS!  We are fortunate to live in a community that cares and supports each other, so make a call when red flags are raised” said Shari Selander, CEO of New Directions Northwest, Inc.  “This needs to be a group effort – a community effort. Each and every one of us can spread the word about the realities of individuals dying due to taking these counterfeit pills.”

Naloxone (Narcan) is also available when people are overdosing.  Naloxone is available from local pharmacies, the crisis response team, first responders, and through New Directions Northwest. However, treating fentanyl overdoses often requires additional naloxone to reverse the effects of the drug.  Naloxone is a medication that temporarily blocks the toxic effects of opioids, or “reverses” an opioid overdose. More doses of naloxone are sometimes needed to reverse fentanyl overdoses, compared to other opioid overdoses, due to the potency of fentanyl.

New Directions Northwest, Inc. (NDN) has Naloxone/Narcan kits available for free. NDN urges anyone who needs help with drug addiction to call NDN at 541-523-7400. A 24-hour crisis hotline is also available by calling 541 519-7126. If an overdose is suspected, 911 should be called immediately to obtain medical assistance.

Signs and Symptoms of an Overdose

You can identify an opioid overdose by a combination of three symptoms known as the Opioid Triad. The triad consists of:

  • Pinpoint pupils
  • Unconsciousness
  • Respiratory depression

Additional signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose include:

  • Unresponsiveness
  • Awake, but unable to talk
  • Body is very limp
  • Face is pale or clammy
  • Blue lips, fingernails, and skin
  • For lighter skinned people, the skin tone turns bluish purple; for darker skinned people, the skin tone turns grayish or ashen
  • Breathing is very slow and shallow, irregular or has stopped
  • Pulse is slow, erratic or not there at all
  • Choking sounds or a snore-like gurgling noise (sometimes called the “death-rattle”)
  • Vomiting

Steps to take for opioid overdose victims

Steps to Take for Opioid Overdose Victims

  1. Call 911 immediately.

Call 911 immediately, report a drug overdose, and give the street address and location of the victim. If there are other persons available, send someone to wait in the street for the ambulance and guide the emergency medical technicians to the victim.

  • Try to rouse the victim.

Try to rouse the victim by speaking loudly, pinching, or rubbing your knuckles vigorously up and down the sternum (the bony part in the middle of the chest).

  • Make sure the victim is breathing.

Make sure the victim is breathing. If not, administer rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth) by pinching the victim’s nose shut and blowing into the mouth. Lay the victim on their side after they have resumed breathing on their own.

  • Administer Naloxone.

Administer an opioid antagonist, such as Naloxone (Narcan), if you have it and know how to use it.

  • Stay with the victim.

Stay with the victim until help arrives, and act quickly to administer rescue breathing if they stop breathing. Encourage the victim to cooperate with the ambulance crew.

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