Sini Warns of Hazards in Counterfeit Drugs

Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini  and Steven Chassman, executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence issued a warning Sunday that illicit substances are being pressed to look like prescription pills. The substances include  methamphetamine being marketed as Adderall.

“This is an extremely alarming trend that can put users’ lives at risk,” Sini said. “Any time a substance is branded for illicit sale as something other than what it is, it poses severe safety risks. The unintended ingestion of meth or fentanyl to an unsuspecting user can easily be fatal, which is why we’re sounding the alarm and letting residents know that these pills are already in circulation in our area.”

Law enforcement officials say they’ve seen fentanyl that has been pressed and marketed as subscription pills, such as Oxycodone, over the past several years; however, the existence of methamphetamine pressed as pills is an emerging trend that law enforcement believes may become more prevalent based on intelligence gathered in recent narcotics investigations.

On Friday, Suffolk County Police First Precinct officers arrested Eli Irby, 21, and Thairhan Ozturk, 21, both of Lindenhurst, following a car stop in Lindenhurst during which law enforcement recovered various controlled substances from the vehicle, including pills resembling Adderall. A field test determined that the pills were in fact methamphetamine, Sini said. Irby and Ozturk are each charged with two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree, a class A felony; three counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony; Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree, a class D felony.

Sini also said that on March 17, pursuant to an investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the Suffolk County Police Department’s Narcotics Section, police arrested Phillip Hollman, 42, of Mastic, for the alleged sale of fentanyl pressed as pills and marketed as Oxycodone. Hollman is charged with six counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony; Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony; Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a class D felony; Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony; and three counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree, a class A misdemeanor.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Division announced this week that methamphetamine pressed as Adderall pills have been seized recently in locations across New Hampshire. The DEA attributed the source of these pills to Mexican drug cartels, who are manufacturing the pills in an attempt to get young people addicted to methamphetamine.

  • “Adderall is a prescription medication used to treat attention deficit disorders and is primarily prescribed to younger individuals,”  Sini said. “Similarly, people who purchase black market Adderall for recreational use tend to be younger, so our warning here today is not just for the individuals using these substances, but also for parents to please share this warning with your teens and older children.”

“LICADD is proud to partner with Suffolk County to provide a 24-hour hotline, so if you or someone you know someone who is struggling, please call today and ask for help,” Chassman said. “We commend District Attorney Sini for getting this public health message out there to keep individuals and families safe.”

District Attorney Sini and Mr. Chassman encourage anyone struggling with substance use disorders to call LICADD’s 24-hour hotline at 631-979-1700 or the Family Service League’s Diagnostic, Assessment, and Stabilization Hub (“DASH”) at 631-952-3333.

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