Children on playgrounds targeted by drug runners with candy-colored 'trash cans': DEA agent warns

As cause dealers look to innovate and marketplace their merchandise to the masses, immoderate person started to stash their poison successful "trash cans," tiny multicolored capsules that person replaced accepted vials.

Authorities person recovered them in Baltimore, New Jersey, New York City and Philadelphia. In Baltimore, immoderate are being utilized to bundle fentanyl, a deadly opioid that kills adjacent successful tiny amounts, according to a 2021 informing issued by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 

In New York, cause dealers person moved distant from accepted packaging systems similar vials utilized to merchantability cocaine and different drugs, said Frank Tarentino III, the peculiar cause successful complaint of the DEA's New York office.

"There was a clip erstwhile cocaine was encapsulated successful what we would telephone ace vials. … We're seeing that substituted with these trash cans oregon pop-tops, oregon drawback top-type integrative worldly that contains an illicit drug," Tarentino told Fox News Digital. "It's been reported successful antithetic schools passim New York City that these trash cans, pop-tops are being recovered successful the playgrounds successful and astir schools."

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The DEA has warned the nationalist of "trash can" cause vials. (Drug Enforcement Administration)

The DEA's laboratory successful New York recovered that the "trash cans" recovered successful and astir New York contained cocaine, Tarentino said. 

Authorities determination haven't seen immoderate grounds of overmuch fentanyl successful the "trash cans," helium said, but it's lone a substance of clip earlier street-level dealers statesman mixing the opioid with cocaine and bundle it into colorful receptacles, helium said. 

However, successful 2023, determination were reports of fentanyl stashed wrong "trash can" capsules that were recovered by backstage schoolhouse students astatine a Brooklyn playground. The drugs were recovered astatine the Crispus Attucks Playground successful the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, the New York Post reported astatine the time.

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Drugs are collected during a DEA cognition successful White Plains, N.Y., connected April 24, 2021. (Kena Betancur/AFP)

In Fort Greene, Brooklyn, multicolored "trash cans" were recovered successful and astir a parkland that aforesaid year, according to a informing from the Fort Greene Conservancy astatine the time. They were recovered successful the park's playground and connected a lawn. 

"The newness of the packaging is attractive. It’s distinctive," the DEA said successful its 2021 warning. "And similar immoderate different product, selling drugs is successful galore ways astir marketing."

At the clip the capsules were recovered successful the Brooklyn park, parents were notified of the drugs being stored successful the tiny eye-catching containers.

"We reminded the children of the people regularisation that we lone prime up things made by quality and, successful particular, immoderate things that aren’t made by quality similar these ‘little trash cans’ tin person poison connected them and children should ne'er interaction them, lone study them to grown ups (sic) close away," the announcement said.

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A container afloat of "trash can" containers utilized to stash drugs (Drug Enforcement Administration)

The DEA remains acrophobic astir the packaging trend, Tarentino said. 

It's "definitely appealing to young people. It is decidedly a branding oregon drug-marketing scheme," helium said. "We're precise acrophobic astir this happening successful and astir our schools and successful our communities."

The capsules entreaty to dealers arsenic well. 

They're thicker and much durable than different containers, the DEA said, making them charismatic to cause pushers. In addition, they are easier to smuggle, little apt to interruption isolated erstwhile wrong the quality assemblage and tin clasp up nether atrocious upwind conditions similar rain, arsenic opposed to tiny integrative bags.

"Trash can" cause capsules (Drug Enforcement Administration)

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The New York Police Department told Fox News Digital, "We person seen this packaging." The NYPD does not support information connected the packaging itself, a constabulary spokesperson said. 

Fox News Digital has reached retired aggregate times to the New York City Departments of Education, Public Health and Parks and Recreation.

Since January, the DEA successful New York has seized 7,342 pounds of cocaine and 365 pounds of fentanyl, of which 230 pounds were pills. The DEA seized 2.5 cardinal fentanyl-laced pills. Overall, the DEA has seized much than 13.5 cardinal pills and much than 2,132 pounds of fentanyl powder. 

Those seizures correspond astatine slightest 81 cardinal deadly doses, the bureau told Fox News Digital.