The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported that authorities recovered 12,000 suspected fentanyl tablets concealed in candy boxes at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday.
At approximately 7:30 a.m. local time, a suspect attempted to get past security with many bags of sweets and “various food,” according to the sheriff’s department. The packages of candy, which contained wrappers for Skittles, Whoppers, and Sweetarts, were later revealed to contain tablets believed to be fentanyl.
The suspect escaped before being captured, according to the sheriff’s department, which added that the subject has been identified and “the investigation is ongoing.”
Fentanyl, an opioid compound, is fifty times more potent than heroin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, with synthetic opioids like fentanyl accounting for two-thirds of those, about 71,000.