NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning about fake pain pills that could prove deadly for anyone taking them.
TBI spokesman Josh DeVine says police recently recovered what looked like oxycodone pills during a traffic stop.
“It’s the same size, it has the same stamping -- that “A” over “215” that’s characteristic of oxycodone, but laboratory analysis at a TBI forensic facility indicated that they were in fact counterfeit…didn’t contain oxycodone and instead contained fentanyl.”
Devine says fentanyl is a painkiller that’s 50 times more potent than heroin. The drug can be deadly in high doses.
The TBI advises consumers that they should only use prescription medications obtained through a licensed pharmacy and avoid purchasing prescription medications online or from illegal sources.