Authorities in Tennessee have issued a warning to residents after two $1 bills laced with fentanyl were discovered at gas stations.
In 2 different incidents, a person discovered a white powder substance inside a folded dollar bill on the floor of a gas station. Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems posted on Social media on June 8 that the particle tested positive for crystal meth and fentanyl.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is used to treat extreme pain, but illegitimately produced fentanyl can be lethal even in tiny quantities.
Last week, the sheriff’s office in Giles County, Tennessee, issued an alert about folded bills, stating that even a minuscule portion of fentanyl-laced powder “is more than enough to kill anyone who comes into contact” with it.
“It enrages me as a father and the Sheriff, that people can act so carelessly and have no regard for others well being, especially a child. I hope we find the ones responsible,” Weems said in his post.
He stated that he intends to advocate for legislation that would enhance penalties for those found using cash as a pouch for “such poison.”
Weems advises parents to teach their kids not to pick up cash from the ground.
