A source close to the investigation of Prince‘s death said that pills recovered from the musician’s home were mislabeled. According to The Minneapolis StarTribune, the source said pills marked as hydrocodone that were found at the Paisley Park estate actually contained fentanyl, the same drug that reportedly killed the music legend.
Prince did not have a prescription for fentanyl, and his autopsy reported that he died from an accidental overdose, so this new information raises theories about what may have led to his death. The source says that officials believe that Prince may have taken the pills without knowing what they really were.
It is unknown how Prince came into possession of fentanyl. A CNN article speculates that it could have been the result of a pharmaceutical labeling error, or he may have gotten the pills illegally without knowing what they really were. The StarTribune noted that counterfeit pills are becoming more widespread nationwide. The Drug Enforcement Administration has reported that drug traffickers are using counterfeit pills to increase sales of fentanyl. The DEA said they tested eight times as much fentanyl in 2015 than they did in 2006.
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