ATLANTA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation issued a public safety alert regarding counterfeit pills after a shocking study showed just how many were in the state.
Since January 2015, the crime lab has received more than 450 reports of counterfeit pills.
Counterfeit pills contain drugs other than those indicated by the markings.
We’re investigating how police say drug dealers and users are interacting on social media and the ways they track them, Monday on Channel 2 Action News at 5 p.m.
For example, the GBI said its crime lab received a pill with markings consistent with oxycodone.
However, the lab determined that the pill contained fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, and U-47700 (pink).
This alarming discovery resulted in an internal study to determine the contents of counterfeit pills submitted to the lab by law enforcement agencies in Georgia.
The study in November 2017 revealed that metro Atlanta has the most instances in the state.
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By a significant margin, the top counterfeited logos represent alprazolam (Xanax) and oxycodone.
The two most common substances found within the counterfeit tablets were depressants and opiates.
Of particular concern were transdermal drugs in the opiate drug class that were disguised as oxycodone, a non-transdermal drug.
By November of 2017, the GBI said there were eight fentanyl, six furanyl fentanyl and 15 U-47700 (pink) pills that were embossed as non-transdermal drugs.
Cox Media Group
