KEY POINTS

  • The toy was bought from a thrift store in EI Mirage on Friday
  • The parents reported it to the Phoenix police department
  • The investigators could not do field test as fentanyl is dangerous
  • The pills had m-30 engraved on them

An Arizona couple got a bit more than what they bargained for with a thrift-store find they bought for their daughter on Friday -- a glow-worm toy that had a sandwich-bag full of fentanyl pills.

The parents found more than 5,000 fentanyl pills inside the stuffed toy while they were cleaning it, said a news release by the Phoenix Police Department on Saturday.

“Great job parents! Remember, please inspect all opened and used items for your family’s safety,” the Phoenix police said in their Facebook post.

The couple reportedly bought the toy from a thrift store in EI Mirage on Friday afternoon. In order to clean it, the couple opened the back of the toy where the batteries are placed, only to find a sandwich bag full of pills. They immediately reported it to the police and the dangerous drugs were turned over to them.

The investigators could not do the field test as fentanyl is a dangerous drug but they said that the pills had “m-30” engraved on them, reported news outlet NBC2.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 100 times stronger than morphine. It is used as a schedule II prescription drug to treat severe pains in cancer patients and patients who are tolerant to opioids.

“They’re very dangerous,” Sgt. Mercedes Fortune of the Phoenix police department told news outlet KTAR News. “Very small amounts of fentanyl can end someone’s life," Fortune added.

Fortune also said that it is always good to inspect toys for potential dangers. “ 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 said.

In a similar incident in May 2020, U.S customs and border protection officers found tablets of Stilnox, a sedative-hypnotic controlled drug from a cotton doll, reported local news outlet Deming Headlight. On May 7, 2020, the customs officers working at the Ysleta Port of Entry cargo facility selected a shipment that had cotton dolls for inspection. During the inspection, they found that one of the dolls had multiple strips of Stilnox hidden inside.

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The Phoenix police department received a call from the parents after the couple found more than 5000 fentanyl pills inside the stuffed toy while they were washing it. pixabay