CHANHASSEN, Minn. -- Prince may be the highest-profile victim of a devastating drug trend, according to experts.
Authorities said his death was caused by counterfeit Vicodin pills laced with fentanyl. Those and other deadly counterfeit drugs are becoming more common in the U.S., according to experts.
"It is a phenomenon that is an absolute game changer in the world of drug abuse," explained Carol Falkowski, a state drug expert. "Because people unknowingly come across these counterfeit pills or they buy something on the street that resembles heroin they've been using forever,and if it contains fentanyl it can be lethal."
Prince Death Investigation Evidence
Most of the fentanyl in the U.S. is coming illegaly from China, a DEA agent told KARE 11. The agent said the reason drug dealers are lacing the counterfeit pills with Fentanyl is because it costs about the same as a less powerful narcotic. But because it's so potent, it can be cut many times over, making more money for the dealer.
At a press conference Thursday, investigators said no charges would be filed in Prince's death because they were unable to find the source of the counterfeit drugs.
Prince had suffered from severe pain for years, investigators said. On April 7, 2016, he received prescriptions for vitamin D and anti-nausea medication from physician Michael Todd Schulenberg after vomiting and experiencing numbness in his hands and legs.
On April 14, 2016, Prince associate Kirk Johnson contacted Dr. Schulenberg and asked if he could provide Prince with some pain medication due to hip pain. He asked the doctor to issue the prescription in Johnson's name due to Prince's privacy, and Schulenberg issued a one-time prescription of 15 Percocet pills. Ten of those pills were later found in a suitcase in Paisley Park.
Schulenberg has now agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a federal civil claim. The federal government alleges that Schulenberg violated the Controlled Substances Act when he wrote a prescription in someone else's name, while knowing it would be used by another individual.
While Prince is not named in the settlement, search warrants previously released say Schulenberg wrote the Percocet prescription in the name of Kirk Johnson with the intention of it going to Prince.
However, neither he nor Johnson will face charges in Prince's death because investigators could not prove the Percocet prescribed had anything to do with his death, or that the two had ties to the counterfeit Vicodin that killed him.
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