Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DEA official warns Hampton residents: 'One pill can kill' as fentanyl seizures rise
Summary
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Patrick Hartig told the City Council that illicit fentanyl is widespread in Hampton Roads, that counterfeit pills marketed to young people frequently contain lethal doses, and urged parents and schools to heed community prevention and Narcan guidance.
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Patrick Hartig of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Norfolk District told the Hampton City Council on Oct. 8 that illicit fentanyl is a dire and growing public-safety threat in Hampton Roads.
"Don't take a pill unless it was prescribed to you by your physician and dispensed to you by a legitimate pharmacy," Hartig said, urging residents to assume pills from friends, party supplies or online vendors may contain fentanyl. He told the council and the public that laboratory testing shows "7 out of 10 pills that we see contain a lethal amount of fentanyl," and that a lethal dose can be as little as two milligrams.
Hartig described how precursor chemicals from China and clandestine laboratories in Mexico supply fentanyl that is then smuggled into the United States and distributed locally. He said local seizures have included kilogram-scale quantities and counterfeit pills designed to look like legitimate prescription medications or marketed in ways that appeal to juveniles.
Hartig warned that fentanyl is not limited to opioids: "We have found fentanyl in cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy, K-2 and vape pens," he said, and noted that some seizures also test positive for xylazine—an animal sedative that is not reversible with naloxone (Narcan) and can cause severe tissue injury.
The DEA official recommended prevention measures aimed at parents, schools and young people: do not accept pills from others, use only prescriptions filled at accredited pharmacies, and talk with teens about online marketing and the risks of counterfeit pills. He also urged broad distribution of Narcan while warning it will not reverse non-opioid adulterants such as xylazine.
City Manager Mary Bunton confirmed that Hartig will present to Hampton City Schools principals and that the city is coordinating outreach to bring the DEA presentation into schools.
The council did not take a formal vote on policy at the meeting; Hartig’s presentation was delivered as a public-education briefing intended to inform community prevention efforts.
