Case count at 30 for Georgia counterfeit drug cluster

ATLANTA — As the investigation into the counterfeit Percocets pills that have led to overdoses and deaths in the state continues, a few more cases were reported over the weekend, including one more possible death, officials with the Georgia Department of Public Health said.

Nancy Nydam, a spokeswoman for DPH, said a death over the weekend is possibly related to the fake Percocets, but that there were no confirmatory test results as of Tuesday. She said the patient was hospitalized last week before passing away Sunday, accounting for the fifth death possibly related to what has been determined to be an opioid overdose cluster.

Nydam said three additional overdoses in Middle Georgia were reported over the weekend that may be related to the counterfeit pills. She said the number of presumed opioid overdoses related to the cluster is still around 30, as some cases that initially were thought to be related have since been found to be unconnected.

Maj. Prurince Dice, commander of the Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit, said he has received no information to indicate the drug is currently on the streets in Albany, but he said he has been in contact with other law enforcement agencies about overdoses in their area.

One of those contacts is Americus Police Chief Mark Scott, who confirmed two cases outside the Americus city limits in connection to the cluster that is currently under investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

GBI officials said last week that evidence from the agency’s crime lab found that preliminary test results indicate a mixture of two synthetic opioids, with one of the drugs being consistent with a new fentanyl analogue not previously identified by the crime lab.

The pills are being purchased on the street and are yellow in color with an oval shape. The pills have the numbers “10/325” on one side and the word “PERCOCET” in all capital letters on the opposite side. The word PERCOCET is not stamped as deeply on the counterfeit pills as the manufacturer typically does on its pills, and the imprint of the name is also at an angle on the counterfeit drug, Bibb County Sheriff’s Office officials said.

The drug has been found to cause respiratory depression, and those who have been exposed to it have been encouraged to seek emergency medical attention. The GBI, DPH, Georgia Poison Center, hospitals and other partners are working jointly on the ongoing investigation. The source of the drug is among the elements under investigation.