The Summit County Attorney’s Office has released an emergency alert identifying dangerous, controlled substances were shipped from overseas to at least one Park City address. Some of the drugs have been intercepted but there is concern that more may have been distributed throughout the community. There are four juveniles who are known to have received the controlled substances from a foreign origin. The substances were ordered from the “dark web”. Carolyn Murray has this:
In September of 2016, two 8th grade Park City boys overdosed on the synthetic opioid, U-47700 known by the street name of Pink or Pinky. Friends, Grant Seaver and Ryan Ainsworth, both 13 at the time, died from overdoses within a couple of days of each other. The drug was shipped from China via the “dark web” to a Wasatch County address. Summit County Attorney, Margaret Olson says Park City Police Chief Wade Carpenter is very concerned that the public understands the danger of this new substance.
“They were intercepted by law enforcement and then delivered in a controlled way and that’s how the perpetrators were caught. That’s the reason for the community alert. There are juveniles, at least four in this community who have been procuring this. It is unknown how much has come into the community and so in order to avoid another tragedy,we’re releasing the statement to urge parents to check, to be alert and to talk to their children.”
The case is under investigation and because the four teens are minors, names will not be publicized. Olson says at least one teen involved in the 2016 shipment is involved in this case by procuring at least one package of this unidentified controlled substance.
The Attorney’s Office is waiting for toxicology reports from the crime lab on the substances.
“They have been identified as controlled substances and synthetic controlled substances. I haven’t seen a toxicology report. That’s why we are warning that they’re of unknown potentcy and composition. They need to be not even touched and treated as toxic and dangerous.”
Parents should pay attention to unknown packages which arrive at their homes and it’s stressed that they should not be opened.
“..packages you didn’t order are coming in the mail or coming from Fed Ex delivery or UPS type services, packages with foreign language writing on the outside, packages delivered to your home with your child’s friend’s name on it and not your name. And again, be very cautious and don’t hesitate to call law enforcement so the substances can be disposed of safely. Police Chief, Wade Carpenter, stressed to me some of these are toxic and even dangerous to touch.”
Olson says the reason they issued the emergency is because parents need to be told how dangerous the substance can be and how important it is to talk to their kids. The School Districts have been notified of the alert.
“Talk with them about the danger of ordering things over the internet, the danger of consuming substances from an unknown source. Illicit drugs are always a danger but to consume something and you don’t even know what it is, could be deadly. The last thing anyone in this community wants is a repeat of the tragedy that was suffered in 2016.”
The Summit County Attorney’s Office is screening and filing delinquency charges in the Third District Juvenile Court.
