Fentanyl-laced medicine found in North Myrtle Beach, police say

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - North Myrtle Beach Police said fentanyl disguised as over-the-counter medicine is a scary new trend becoming more prevalent across the Grand Strand.

Since May, North Myrtle Beach Police officers have recovered 22 grams of fentanyl, the most recent case happened on Wednesday night.

North Myrtle Beach Police arrested Zuri Keche Phifer for trafficking fentanyl. A police report said during a traffic stop an officer smelled marijuana, which prompted a search of the car.

The report said during the search, police found several pills, a blue powder, and three liquid pain relief pills. The sleep aid containing diphenhydramine sold under various store brands pills tested positive for fentanyl.

A spokesperson for the department said this practice isn’t widely known.

“What they’ll do is they’ll inject it into the pill itself and that’s their way of either keeping us so that we don’t intercept it,” Officer Patrick Wilkinson said. “If they do get pulled over and we see it it could easily appear as some kind of a pain reliever. Something legit that you can buy from the store.”

Wilkinson also said officers are taking extra precautions when dealing with drug seizures and handling scenes.

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