Police warning: Bad actors leave folded dollar bills laced with fentanyl on floor – do not pick them up

A new and deadly phenomenon of leaving fentanyl-laced money laying around has prompted law enforcement officials to act. On June 9, the Giles County Sheriff’s Department, headquartered in Perry County, Tennessee, issued a disturbing public safety alert to their citizens. The sheriff’s office reported that they had two separate incidents that they felt to be of great concern to local public safety.

On two occasions, a folded dollar bill was found on the floor of a local gas station. And who would not pick up a dollar bill found on the ground, right?

But in these instances, when the dollar bill was picked up, the person retrieving the money discovered a white powdery substance inside the folded bill. The substance was later tested and tested positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl.

KTSX News shared the CDC’s warning that fentanyl can be absorbed into the body via inhalation, oral exposure or ingestion, or skin contact.

The sheriff’s office could not emphasize enough how dangerous and life-threatening this situation could be, and has asked the public to please share this information and …

“… educate your children not to pick up any folded money they may find in or around businesses, play grounds etc., without using great caution – and even alerting a parent or guardian.”

(Image credit: Giles County Sheriff’s Department)

The small amount of powder shown next to the penny in this picture is fentanyl-laced and is more than enough to kill anyone that comes into contact with it.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid drug that has been blamed for a spike in overdose deaths in recent months. Last year, for the first time, more than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses over a 12-month period, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with about two-thirds of those deaths linked to fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. ~ Fox News

So, let’s all please share this info with our kids.

(Source: Giles County Sheriff’s Department)