On September 28th, 15,000 fentanyl laced pills were found in two black bags and a Lego box in a New Jersey woman’s car in Manhattan, New York during an ongoing 15-week operation.

Rainbow fentanyl is brightly colored fake pills that are laced with fentanyl to resemble candy in an attempt to lure youth to drug abuse.

Federal Authorities have accused Latesha Bush, a 48 year old New Jersey woman, of concealing an approximate 15,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl pills, some, in a children’s lego box. The DEA has recently announced this is now the largest seizure of rainbow fentanyl in New York history.

Latesha Bush pleaded not guilty after she was charged with one count of first degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and one count of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and is expected to appear in court again on October 18th.

DEA Administrator Anne Milgram released a statement that the rainbow fentanyl was “a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction among kids and young adults.” 

New York Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell also made the statement, “Disguising fentanyl as candy – and concealing it in children’s toys – will never hide the fact that fentanyl is a deadly poison that harms our communities, our families, and our city,”

Fentanyl has become more concerning in local communities as drug use is increasing in the teen age group. When asked how our school is preparing for the current rise in fentanyl use, “There’s a lot of contact, people like counselors and social workers. And if it’s here definitely the deans know about it. I think it’s pretty rare but it’s definitely possible and if it’s in our school you know it’s definitely in our town which the police can help take care of,” said Mr. Robert Jones, a science teacher at NHS.

In 2021 alone, 107,622 Americans died from drug overdoses with sixty-six percent from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. And now, with rainbow fentanyl first arising on the streets in the West Coast in February but gradually spreading around the country it leads to more concerns.

With the rise in fentanyl use the concern grows after it has become more and more dangerous by how powerful the drug is. Much like morphine, fentanyl is medically used to treat extreme pain. Fentanyl is fifty to one hundred times more powerful than morphine and other painkillers. In the wrong hands this extremely powerful drug can kill countless children and adults.

New York law enforcement is strongly encouraging parents to be observant on Halloween of any suspicious packaging or candy that may be in the mix with their children’s candy. 

An investigation in this case is still ongoing.