Police Warn Families of Synthetic Opioid in Park City
Jul 20, 2018, 9:45 PM | Updated: Jul 21, 2018, 1:29 am
PARK CITY, Utah – Families in Park City are being warned of the presence of a synthetic opioid in their community. Police say a juvenile ordered the substance on the dark web and the package came to Park City from overseas.
Park City police sent out a safety alert via email that the harmful substance was mailed and received sometime this summer. On Friday, police concluded the investigation and they’re not ruling out the possibility more packages were sent.
It’s a blow to the community rocked by a similar incident in 2016, when two 13-year-old boys died after overdosing on the synthetic opioid known as ‘pink’. It’s something this community is still mourning.
“Everyone in this system was deeply affected by those tragedies,” said Margaret Olson, Summit County Attorney. “The purpose of the alert is to prevent a needless overdose or tragedy again.”
Olson says the latest is not ‘pink’ but another similar substance. Another disturbing similarity is the investigation found at least one juvenile linked to the deadly shipment from two years ago, is also involved in this latest one.
“We know the substances can be of unknown potency and composition and that makes them all the more dangerous,” Olson said.
She suggests calling law enforcement immediately if a suspicious package is received.
“I want to encourage parents to view law enforcement as friends and someone they can call to eradicate a danger, instead of being fearful that they will buy trouble for their kid,” Olson said.
Friday marked the end of the police investigation and the beginning of the Summit County Attorney’s Office screening charges. As of Friday night, no charges had been filed.
