WEST CHESTER — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recently began alerting the public of a sharp nationwide increase in the lethality of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills — many times purchased by opioid addicts on the street without any safeguards.
But the danger of those purchases was illustrated more than a year ago in the death of a Chester County man from an accidental overdose after taking what he apparently believed was prescription Oxycodone but was in fact a fake.
Eric A. Birdsey, 36, was found dead in the living room of the Uwchlan house he shared in November 2021 after he ingested some of the pills he had purchased that day from his steady drug dealer, known as “Superman,” according to a criminal complaint filed in the case. Birdsey had been getting ready to watch a movie with his roommate when he succumbed, police said.
On Wednesday, Derrick Donnell Adkins pleaded guilty to charges related to Birdsey’s death, including drug delivery resulting in death, dealing in illegal proceeds, possession of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications device. He faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison on the drug delivery count.
Common Pleas Court Judge Analisa Sondergaard, who accepted Adkins’ guilty plea, set sentencing for May 25. It will be up to her to decide his punishment, as Adkins pleaded guilty without an agreement from the prosecution on the sentence.
Adkins, 50, who lived not far from Birdsey in Uwchlan, was charged by Chester County Detectives in February 2022 after they were able to track cell phone messages from Birdsey’s cell phone to Adkins’ in the months leading up to the final arrangements they made to meet the day Birdsey died. At the time, he told Adkins he wanted to purchase “five blues,” meaning Oxycodone 30 milligram tablets.
The two apparently met at the Target store on Eagleview Boulevard around 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 23, 2021. Birdsey went home and took 1½ of the five pills he had purchased.
Karley Hollis, one of Birdsey’s two roommates, told police that she had known him for about three years and knew that he frequently used illegal drugs, including opiates. She said that when he left the house that afternoon, she knew he was going to meet his steady drug supplier, who lived in the Marchwood Apartment Complex.
She said he was gone for 15 to 20 minutes before returning, and that they discussed plans to watch a movie together. She went upstairs for about 20 minutes and when she came down she found Birdsey slumped over and unresponsive. He was declared dead at the scene after emergency personnel arrived and tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate him.
Uwchlan police were able to find 3½ other pills with the markings “M 30” on them in a secure metal box found at the home. When he inspected a photo of the pills, Chester County Detective Oscar Rosato — a member of the D.A.’s Drug Task Force and an expert in illegal drug trafficking cases — recognized them as similar to those manufactured by traffickers at clandestine factories purporting to be Oxycodone.
An autopsy was conducted after his death and in January 2022 then-Deputy Coroner Dr. Christine VandePol ruled that he died of accidental fentanyl intoxication. In 2021, of the 109 deaths caused by drug overdoses, the largest number — 66 — were attributed to fentanyl intoxication.
In his obituary, Birdsey — a graduate of Downingtown High School and Millersville University — was described as an “avid outdoorsman who loved to hike, camp, fish, and shoot targets.” He was also a skilled metal worker, having been employed as a welder by a fabricating company, and for his hobby, making functional and beautiful knives of different styles, all with handles of attractive wood or other materials. “He made many good friends over the years, and all found him to be an engaging and joyful companion,” it read.
According to a recent press release, the DEA Laboratory has found that of the fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills analyzed in 2022, six out of ten now contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. This is an increase from the DEA’s previous announcement in 2021 that four out of ten fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills were found to contain a potentially lethal dose.
“More than half of the fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills being trafficked in communities across the country recently contain a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl. This marks a dramatic increase — from four out of ten to six out of 10 — in the number of pills that can kill,” said Administrator Anne Milgram. “These pills are being mass-produced by the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Cartel in Mexico. Never take a pill that wasn’t prescribed directly to you. Never take a pill from a friend. Never take a pill bought on social media. Just one pill is dangerous and one pill can kill.”
Last year, the DEA issued an alert on the widespread drug trafficking of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills in American communities. These pills are largely made by two Mexican drug cartels, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco (CJNG) Cartel, to look identical to real prescription medications, including OxyContin, Percocet, and Xanax, and they are often deadly.
In 2021, the DEA seized more than 20.4 million fake prescription pills. Earlier this year, the DEA conducted a nationwide operational surge to target the trafficking of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills and, in just over three months, seized 10.2 million fake pills in all 50 states. Through its One Pill Can Kill campaign, the DEA is working to alert the American public of the dangers of fake prescription pills.
Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country. It is a highly addictive synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, the small amount that fits on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially deadly dose. According to the CDC, 107,622 Americans died of drug poisoning in 2021, with 66 percent of those deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
The Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel in Mexico, using chemicals largely sourced from China, are primarily responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in communities across the United States.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Robert Goggin. Adkins, who has been free on bail since his arrest, is represented by defense attorney Lindsay Killian of Media.
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.
