WASHINGTON — Attorney General Todd Blanche grimly warned that fentanyl laced drugs are “death” pills when reflecting on actress Hayden Panettiere’s tragic death, which authorities say resulted from the synthetic opioid.
“When it comes to fentanyl, they’re not fake pills. They’re death pills,” Blanche told a reporter during a White House press briefing Tuesday. “They’re pills that kill people. And there’s a federal statute that allows us to go after it.”
“Assuming we can, we can prove who the dealer is to go after them and put them in prison for murder. And we do it in every district in this country, he added.
Panettiere died suddenly at the age of 36 last month. TMZ reported that her death was caused by an oxycodone pill that had been laced with fentanyl. She reportedly got it from her longtime drug dealer.
Here’s the latest on Hayden Panettiere’s tragic death:
- Hayden Panettiere died after taking just one pill laced with fentanyl: report
- Brian Hickerson’s ‘frustrated’ brother Zach blames rumor mill for bar fight, arrest
- Neutrogena’s stock spirals after Hayden Panettiere’s tragic death as fans vow to boycott
- Hayden Panettiere’s body ready to be released as coroner reveals timeline for toxicology results
- Hayden Panettiere, star of ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville,’ dead at 36
Blanche refrained from commenting on Panettiere’s case specifically, but spoke broadly of fentanyl.
“In the cases where we know who the dealer was, and we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person sold the death pill to the victim who then dies — that’s a federal crime,” he said.
“And that’s something that we will readily prosecute, as often as we can.”
