Overdose Deaths Linked To Fake Oxycodone Pills On The Rise In Oklahoma

Overdose deaths linked to fake oxycodone pills are on the rise in Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.

State authorities confirmed on Thursday the counterfeit pills have claimed 10 Oklahoma lives since May. Two victims were identified this week in Grady County.

OBN’s investigation started five months ago in Jones. The state medical examiner's office determined two people overdosed on counterfeit pills.

“We were able to recover some blue pills that tested positive for Fentanyl,” said Mark Woodward, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. “But they were stamped to look like U.S. pharmaceutical oxycodone.”

During the investigation, agents seized thousands of the fake pills that are actually a drug that authorities say is 100 to 1,000 times more potent than heroin or morphine.

“We’re intercepting bags that can have 700 to 1,000 pills at a time that’s brought in from other states,” said Woodward.

Some of the street dealers in Oklahoma County have already been arrested. The state attorney general has charged three men. They each face two counts of first-degree murder for two overdose deaths.

But authorities said the investigation is far from over.

“There could be potentially thousand of these pills in the streets and communities all over the state,” said Woodward.

While agents continue to take the deadly pills off the streets, Woodward said citizens can do the same.

“We are wanting people who may suspect they know someone distributing these pills to contact the local police department,” said Woodward. “At the very least, get with their friends to flush those pills, destroy them.”

Oklahomans can also contact the OBN to report drug activity.