San Francisco boy, 16, died after taking fake pill, police say
A 16-year-old San Francisco boy died after taking a counterfeit pill believed to contain a synthetic opioid known as cychlorphine, police said. Four suspected drug dealers face charges in connection with the death, which investigators linked to the drug’s first known appearance in the city.
The boy, identified by The New York Times as Dante Lacourte, was found dead by his mother at their home in the Lower Nob Hill neighborhood in April, police officials told Nexstar’s KRON.
Health officials issued a warning in late April, saying the victim of a fatal overdose was believed to have swallowed fake pills containing cychlorphine as well as ethyl bromazolam, a benzodiazepine not approved by the FDA. It was the first time cychlorphine had been detected in San Francisco.
“Even a fraction of a counterfeit pill can kill someone,” the San Francisco Department of Public Health told KRON at the time.
Cychlorphine has been linked to more than 40 overdose deaths in Tennessee, according to the report. Authorities in Ohio and Kentucky have issued alerts about the opioid. It has also been detected in Arkansas, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Washington, and Nevada.
Also known as N-propionitrile chlorphine, the drug is not approved for medical use in the U.S. and is manufactured illegally before being mixed into other substances or pressed into counterfeit pills. The Drug Enforcement Administration previously told Nexstar’s The Hill that cychlorphine was first reported by a DEA laboratory in Florida in April 2024.
Officials warn that cyclorphine may require multiple doses of naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, to reverse an overdose.
San Francisco Police Department officers said they launched a “sweeping investigation” into the boy’s death to find out where he obtained the pills and served warrants after identifying “the suspected sources of the pills and [conducting] multiple controlled drug buys.”
On Monday, SFPD announced that four suspected drug dealers were arrested and three residences in the city were searched this September.
- 46-year-old Nicholas Wallace
- 44-year-old Sharonee Hyson
- 46-year-old Leander Pitts
- 39-year-old Starr Lamare
When officers served search warrants at residences connected to Pitts and Lamare, they reported finding 20,000 pills that allegedly contained suspected fentanyl, counterfeit Xanax, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and cyclobenzaprine. Officers also seized MDMA, black tar heroin, guns, and cash.
All four suspects were booked into jail and charged by prosecutors with numerous drug-related crimes, with court appearances set for later this month.
“Our investigators will stop at nothing to ensure deadly narcotics are taken off our streets and individuals who peddle them are arrested and held accountable,” Police Chief Derrick Lew said. “This tragic case highlights the dangers these deadly drugs pose to our community. I want to thank our investigators whose diligent work will no doubt save lives and keep our streets safer.”
The police department said investigators tested counterfeit pills seized from earlier drug cases and discovered some contained cyclorphine. The SFPD is currently working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine if any of the counterfeit pills seized this month contain the deadly substance.
