Officials warn against counterfeit deadly pills

(KNSI) – Minnesota's Ministry of Public Safety warns the public about pills containing fentanyl, known as Mexican Oxy, as a result of an apparently fatal overdose related to these pills .

It is thought that this death is the first in Minnesota with these pills.

The Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office said Beth Leann Roulet, 38, was found dead in a Mankato home on Tuesday after an opioid overdose.

Investigators from the Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force discovered on the site small, light blue pills bearing the letter "M" on one side and the number 30 on the other.

Scientists at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Pharmaceutical Chemistry Laboratory have confirmed that pills labeled "legally manufactured oxycodone" actually contain fentanyl.

According to the investigators, counterfeit pills of this type are believed to be from Mexico and would be linked to fatal overdoses throughout the country.

They look like legitimate pills.

"The counterfeit opioid drugs are designed to look like reality," said Drew Evans, BCA superintendent. "Your provider has no idea of ​​the dose that would kill you, and neither do you. There is no safe dose. "

"The violent crime teams are targeting medium to high level drug traffickers in the hope of making our communities safer," said Brian Marquart, National Coordinator of Gangs and Drugs.

"We try to prevent any further tragedies from happening again."

No charges have been filed as the Minnesota River Valley Drugs Task Force, a VCET, continues to investigate the overdose.