DEA reminding parents and teachers of dangers of fentanyl as the back-to-school season kicks off

STATEWIDE, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Rocky Mountain Field Division (RMFD) is reminding parents and teachers to reinforce messaging surrounding the dangers of drugs, especially fentanyl.

The DEA's RMFD is reminding parents the dangers that surround online access to drugs and dealers. According to officials, emoji codes are often used to make orders and most payments are made online via cash apps.

Earlier this year, the DEA said the RMFD seized one of every six fentanyl pills in the U.S., with most of the seizures being in Colorado. Officials say I-25 and I-70 remain "superhighways" for the drug. They reported data from the Centers for Disease Control which indicated fentanyl deaths in Colorado had increased 14%.

"There should be an alarm going off in every parent's mind as school campuses welcome students back," DEA RMFD Acting Special Agent in Charge Miguel Chino said in a press release. "By taking even half of a pill at a party or on school grounds could be a fatal mistake. Fentanyl knows no boundaries."

The DEA also provided an emoji code list, which they say includes common symbols that are sometimes used to purchase drugs via cell phones.

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