Parents finds surprise in toy from AZ thrift shop — over 5,000 fentanyl pills, cops say

Parents who bought a toy for their daughter from an El Mirage, Arizona, thrift store found more than 5,000 fentanyl pill inside, the Phoenix Police Department said.

The parents, who weren’t named in the news release, cleaned a glow worm toy at their north Phoenix home and discovered a sandwich bag inside with more than 5,000 pills, police said Saturday.

Phoenix police said the parents contacted them and handed over the pills.

“Great job parents! Remember, please inspect all opened and used items for your family’s safety,” police wrote on Facebook.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid and is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overdose deaths from fentanyl are increasing, rising over 16% from 2018 to 2019, the CDC said.

“They’re very dangerous,” Sgt. Mercedes Fortune of the Phoenix Police Department told KTAR News. “Very small amounts of fentanyl can end someone’s life.”

Fortune commended the parents for checking the toy before giving it to their child.

“It might not just be pills or anything illegal, but it might be something sharp or might be something else that could hurt the kids,” she added.

This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Parents finds surprise in toy from AZ thrift shop — over 5,000 fentanyl pills, cops say."