Deadly Drugs Pressed Into Pills, Made To Look Like Adderall: DA

LONG ISLAND, NY — Law enforcement officials in Suffolk County sounded the warning bell Sunday about a new and dangerous trend — methamphetamine being pressed into pills and marketed as Adderall.

“This is an extremely alarming trend that can put users’ lives at risk,” District Attorney Tim 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, he added.

In recent years, Sini said there have been other alarming trends, such as fentanyl being pressed and marketed as Oxycodone; now, it seems methamphetamine pressed as pills may be becoming more prevalent based on information gathered in recent narcotics investigations.

“Our message here today is twofold: We want substance users to be aware that these substances are being sold in our area, and that any time you illegally purchase purported prescription pills, you are putting your life at risk,” Sini said.

On Friday, Suffolk County Police First Precinct officers arrested Eli Irby, 21, of Lindenhurst, and Thairhan Ozturk, 21, of Lindenhurst, after a car stop in Lindenhurst during which police found controlled substances in the vehicle, including pills resembling Adderall, Sini said. A field test determined that the pills were methamphetamine, Sini said.

Irby and Ozturk were each charged with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony; three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony; and fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony, Sini said.

On March 17, Suffolk police arrested Phillip Hollman, 42, of Mastic, and charged him with selling fentanyl pressed as pills and marketed as Oxycodone, Sini said. Hollman was charged with six counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a felony; third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony; third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony; fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony; and three counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor, Sini said.

Last month, former NYPD Officer Joseph Recca, 28, of West Islip, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and other charges for selling fentanyl pills marketed as Oxycodone and causing the fatal overdose of a victim in 2019, Sini said.

“We have seen other parts of the country ravaged by the use of methamphetamines, whereas Suffolk County has largely been spared that tragedy,” Sini said. “However, with these pills seized Friday, this is something law enforcement is very concerned about and keeping a close eye on.”

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s New England Division said recently that methamphetamine pressed as Adderall pills had been seized recently in locations across New Hampshire; the DEA linked the pills to Mexican drug cartels, who are manufacturing them in an attempt to get young people addicted to methamphetamine, Sini said.

Adderall is a prescription medication used to treat attention deficit disorders, mainly prescribed to young people, 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.”

Prevention advocates across Long Island weighed in: “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,” Steven Chassman, executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, said.

News anchor Drew Scott, who lost his granddaughter Hallie Rae to addiction and has since advocated for change, said: "This is a welcome step by DA Sini, to let the public know about the danger of buying street pills, or even accepting pills from friends, that can kill.”

And, said Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, president and chief executive officer of the Family and Children's Association in Mineola, said the pandemic has exacerbated an already critical situation.

"During COVID, we’ve seen a dramatic shift of drug supply, combined with unprecedented demand, which has left people willing to take chances they wouldn’t have before," he said. "We hadn’t seen lots of counterfeit pills before, but that changed as the heroin supply has been more limited by less air travel and disruption at the ports. Of course, the rampant anxiety, depression, and uncertainty people are feeling is a major factor here and will undoubtedly last well into the next few years."

Those who need help can call LICADD’s 24-hour hotline at 631-979-1700 or the Family Service League’s Diagnostic, Assessment, and Stabilization Hub at 631-952-3333, Sini said.