Counterfeit Xanax Warning in Santa Cruz County

Two men died after ingesting what they thought was Xanax, authorities said.

Law enforcement officials are warning the public of a dangerous counterfeit drug that led to the deaths of two men in Santa Cruz County within the past week, a sheriff's spokesman said Tuesday.

Fake alprazolam, a prescription drug widely known through the brands Niravam and Xanax, has been sold on the streets, sheriff's Lt. Kelly Kent said. Alprazolam is used to treat people with anxiety disorders, panic disorders and anxiety due to depression, Kent said.

Two Watsonville men were at a party on Oct. 24 when they may have swallowed what they believed to be Xanax and ended up at the Watsonville Community Hospital, according to Kent. One of the men, a 19-year-old, was put on life support and died on Friday, the spokesman said.

A 29-year-old man ingested what he thought was Xanax on Oct. 27 and was found dead in his home the next day, Kent said.

In San Francisco, three adults were hospitalized in mid-October for swallowing counterfeit Xanax pills containing fentanyl, a potent opioid, and suffered complications from an overdose including muscle breakdown, fluid in their lungs, weakness in their extremities and sedation, public health officials said. Two of the three adults were critically ill, according to public health officials. A fourth person, a 34-year-old San Francisco woman found dead last month was discovered with one of the pills on her person.

It appeared the fentanyl was sold to people looking for heroin on city streets during the summer and led to overdoses, public health officials said.

In Pinole, a 17-year-old boy was arrested last Tuesday for allegedly distributing real Xanax to seven students, of which five were hospitalized, police said. The seven students, who were between grades 10 to 12, allegedly took the drugs on Oct. 22 at Pinole Valley High School while on campus and five of them were sent to a hospital, police said.

The five students were expected to recover, according to West Contra Costa Unified School District officials.

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