The United States is cracking down hard on drug crimes involving fentanyl. As Halloween approaches, officials in Los Angeles are warning parents not to let their guard down, as drug dealers are still using methods like “drug candies” to transport fentanyl, and they are actively targeting young people through social media platforms like TikTok.
On October 28 (Tuesday), Los Angeles County prosecutor Nathan Hochman stated at a press conference that the number of fentanyl-related deaths in the entire county is on the decline, but this synthetic opioid remains one of the leading causes of death among the 18 to 40 age group. People must be vigilant against this “silent killer in the community.”
Data shows that fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
“Hochman said, ‘Fentanyl takes at least eight lives in Los Angeles County every day.’ ‘Fentanyl can take a life within 2 minutes, with just 2 milligrams being enough to be lethal, which is approximately equivalent to the weight of a grain of rice. Just the 50 pounds of fentanyl we seized earlier this year could produce more than 11 million lethal doses, enough to kill everyone in Los Angeles County.'”
Many individuals who die from fentanyl overdose may not even realize they have ingested the drug. Hochman pointed out that Mexican drug cartels are mixing fentanyl into various drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, and some counterfeit pills such as Adderall, Aplrazolam, hydrocodone, and Percocet (oxycodone/acetaminophen).
Since 2024, the Los Angeles County Prosecutor’s Office has filed 426 cases related to possession, sale, transport, or distribution of fentanyl and other controlled substances, and robust law enforcement efforts have significantly reduced fentanyl-related deaths by 37% and methamphetamine-related deaths by 20% in the county last year.
However, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stated on Tuesday that the community should not let their guard down, as “drug dealers will stop at nothing to sell this deadly poison.”
Social media is a double-edged sword, bringing convenience to people’s lives but also allowing criminals to take advantage, leading to tragic consequences such as children losing their lives.
In February 2021, renowned therapist and interpersonal relationship expert Dr. Laura Berman publicly revealed that her 16-year-old son was lured into drug use through social media, ultimately resulting in a fatal overdose, with the drug dealer initially contacting her son through social media.
On May 14, 2020, 22-year-old Santa Clara University student Charlie Ternan tragically lost his life after mistakenly ingesting a painkiller called “Percocet,” laced with fentanyl, which he purchased from strangers on the SnapChat social media platform to relieve back pain from surgery.
In 2022, numerous tragedies of students mistakenly ingesting counterfeit drugs laced with fentanyl resulting in death have occurred in California. Hochman mentioned at Tuesday’s press conference that he greatly admires Dr. Berman’s courage in using her own story to warn all parents.
“I also support pushing for legislation… requiring online platforms like Snapchat and TikTok to allow parents to install monitoring software on their children’s phones to detect exposure to drug dealers, firearms, or dangerous content like cyberbullying,” Hochman said.
Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton added that drug dealers engage in transactions with victims on social media and then place drugs at hidden exchange points, waiting for victims to collect them.
“Parents need to pay attention to what their children are exposed to online and in their social circles,” he said. “The facts prove that drug traffickers are selling drugs to your kids through social media.”
Furthermore, in recent years, drug dealers have been adept at using candies to transport and disguise fentanyl. For example, since 2022, fake “rainbow fentanyl” disguised as candies have frequently been found in various parts of the United States: criminals may disguise fentanyl pills as candies or mix fentanyl into popular candies and snacks loved by children; whether visually, by taste, or smell, it is difficult to distinguish the difference between fentanyl candies and regular candies.
As Halloween approaches, Hamilton once again reminds all parents to thoroughly check all the candies their children receive. Ensure that the candies are sealed and have recognizable brand labels. If they are not in original packaging or show signs of being opened or tampered with, do not allow children to eat them.
“If someone passes drugs to your child, dial 911 immediately,” he said.