Wave Of Overdoses Kills 4, Sickens A Dozen In Georgia

ATLANTA, GA — Four people are dead and several have been sickened after a mass overdose in middle and south Georgia, according to state officials. Dozens have been hospitalized, and the reported deaths may be linked to the drugs, pending confirmation, The Georgia Department of Public Health spokeswoman Nancy Nydam said in a news release.

The story is still developing, but early reports indicate that the culprit may be a street drug that the victims believed to be Percocet, according to the agency. The DPH would only say that the street drugs were "a dangerous, potentially lethal substance."

Along with the DPH, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is also investigating the tragedy — and the death toll could rise. So far, over the past two days overdoses have been reported in Albany, Centerville, Macon, Perry and Warner Robins, the DPH said. "The drugs may also be sold on the street in other areas of the state," the agency said.

While the substance has not yet been positively identified by state officials, they said that it is "extremely" potent. "Patients reportedly purchased yellow pills alleged to be Percocet, an opioid pain medication," the agency said.

GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said that first responders found people in various states of consciousness, including not breathing, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Read more: GBI Confirms Georgia's First 'Gray Death' Drug Fatality

Nydam with the DPH said that workers were given "massive doses" of the emergency drug Naloxone, which medical personnel use to counteract the effects of opioid overdoses.

Georgia, and specifically metro Atlanta, has become ground zero for the trafficking of fake pills masquerading as prescription pain medications, according to state officials.

The GBI issued a public safety warning last month about counterfeit pills containing transdermal drugs, meaning they can be absorbed through the skin. The agency has issued a public safety alert after receiving pills with external markings indicating that it was one substance, when it was another. The GBI Crime Lab has seen 454 exhibits of counterfeit pills since 2015, the agency said in May.

Read more: Dangerous fake pills rampant in Georgia

"In one instance, the crime lab received a pill with markings consistent with oxycodone (non-transdermal drug) but determined that the pill actually contained fentanyl, furanyl fentanyl, and U-47700 (street name 'pink') (all transdermal drugs)," the agency said in a May news release.

The findings prompted the GBI Crime Lab to conduct a study on other counterfeit pills submitted to the agency by law enforcement agencies across Georgia. The study's findings show that metro Atlanta is No. 1 in the state for the trafficking of counterfeit pills. The overwhelming majority of the top counterfeited logos were alprazolam (Xanax) and oxycodone.

"Of particular concern were transdermal drugs in the opiate drug class that were disguised as oxycodone, a non-transdermal drug. In 2017 so far, there were 8 fentanyl, 6 furanyl fentanyl, and 15 U-47700 (pink) pills that were embossed as non-transdermal drugs," the agency said.

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