AG Todd Blanche Vows Crackdown on Fentanyl ‘Death Pills’ Following Hayden Panettiere’s Death

Attorney General Todd Blanche vowed Tuesday that federal prosecutors will aggressively pursue drug dealers who distribute fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills, speaking after reports that actress Hayden Panettiere died after taking a pill believed to contain the powerful synthetic opioid.

Blanche described counterfeit medications containing fentanyl as “death pills” and said federal law gives prosecutors significant authority to pursue dealers when investigators can establish that their drugs caused a person’s death.

“When it comes to fentanyl, they’re not fake pills. They’re death pills,” Blanche said during a White House press briefing. He added that federal prosecutors will pursue qualifying cases across the country when they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt who supplied the fatal drugs.

Blanche did not comment specifically on the investigation surrounding Panettiere. His remarks instead focused on the broader federal effort to prosecute people who knowingly distribute counterfeit prescription drugs containing fentanyl.

Panettiere, 36, died Aug. 16 in South Carolina. Law enforcement sources have said investigators believe she took what she thought was an oxycodone pill that was actually laced with fentanyl after allegedly obtaining drugs from a longtime dealer in Los Angeles.

Authorities have been investigating the circumstances surrounding her death and attempting to identify the source of the suspected counterfeit pill. Toxicology results had not been publicly released when the initial reports emerged, meaning the precise official cause of death had not yet been formally announced.

Federal prosecutors already have several tools for pursuing fentanyl dealers when their drugs result in death. Recent cases have included convictions for distributing narcotics resulting in death, an offense that can carry lengthy mandatory prison sentences.

The Justice Department has also continued targeting organizations that manufacture pills designed to resemble legitimate prescription medications. In one recent case, four Massachusetts men received a combined total of more than 57 years in prison for manufacturing and distributing counterfeit pills containing substances including fentanyl.

Another federal case announced this week involved former Navy sailors who admitted selling counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to active-duty service members. One sailor who received purported oxycodone later died from acute fentanyl intoxication.

Blanche said prosecutors intend to continue bringing cases whenever investigators can establish the connection between a dealer, a fentanyl-laced pill and a resulting death. His comments signal that counterfeit prescription pills will remain a major focus of federal drug enforcement as authorities continue trying to reduce fentanyl-related deaths across the country.