Five counterfeit drug overdoses, one death, reported on Monterey Peninsula

Monterey police said they have seen an increasing number of overdoses related to counterfeit drugs suspected of containing Fentanyl on the Monterey Peninsula, and since Friday five have been reported.

The Peninsula Regional Violence and Narcotics Team (PRVNT) believes there are more unreported overdoses, but in one reported case, a 16-year-old Central Coast High School student died. She was found unconscious and not breathing on a sidewalk on Friday. She was taken to the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula where she was pronounced dead. Investigators believe she took an unknown pill before she lost consciousness.

PRVNT said that in some cases, those who overdosed thought they were taking 30mg Oxycodone or Percocet pills, but similar pills have been found laced with Fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate that is odorless and tasteless, but can cause respiratory distress and death.PRVNT said law enforcement is starting to see Fentanyl laced into other drugs to make them more potent.

Law enforcement is warning people to talk to their teens and other loved ones about the danger of taking medications that are not prescribed to them. It is dangerous to take any prescription medication that has not been prescribed to that person or obtained from a legitimate pharmacy.

Anyone with information is asked to call PRVNT investigators at 831-646-6926.