Authorities in Worcester County arrested a 20-year-old man from Rhode Island after they found about 750 fake Oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl along with more than 100 grams of cocaine, according to the Worcester District Attorney’s office.
Ryan F. Alvarez of Woonsocket was arrested and charged with trafficking more than 10 grams fentanyl after an investigation that began in September, authorities said.
Investigators worked in the area of Blackstone and Woonsocket after reports of counterfeit pills. The investigation uncovered more than 700 fake Oxycodone pills that also contained fentanyl, authorities said.
“This recent arrest highlights one of the changes we’re seeing in the drug market in Worcester County and nationally,” District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said in a statement. “We want to warn people that the pills they buy on the street are often cut with fentanyl and can be just as likely, if not more, to result in a deadly overdose than heroin.”
In 2020, there were a record high 93,000 overdose deaths in the United States. Fentanyl is the driving force behind overdose death increases in recent years, the district attorney’s office said.
This investigation was a joint action by Massachusetts State Police, the Blackstone Valley Drug Task Force, the Blackstone Police Department and the Woonsocket Police Department.
“I’m proud of the work our State Police Detective Unit and local police are doing to combat this influx of fentanyl and its distribution in all forms,” Early said. “It’s important that the public be aware and take caution with all different types of drugs.”
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