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Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

Winchester police chief issues synthetic drug alert amid overdoses, death, crash

This photo provided Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, by the New York Police Department shows packets of synthetic marijuana.
This photo provided Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, by the New York Police Department shows packets of synthetic marijuana.

Reward offered

The Winchester/Franklin County CrimeStoppers program is offering a reward up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest for anyone manufacturing fake prescription pills or synthetic drugs. Contact the Winchester Police Department at 931-967-3840.

photo Winchester Police Chief Dennis Young
photo Fake pills masquerading as Percocet seized in a Winchester, Tenn., police investigation.

Winchester, Tenn.’s police chief is sounding the alarm in the wake of one death and multiple overdoses blamed on two synthetic drugs: one a form of manufactured marijuana and another a form of Percocet.

“We’re just getting bombarded by all the fake stuff right now,” Winchester Police Department Chief Dennis Young said. “We think it’s from the same source.”

The first, an altered herbal mix sometimes called “Fruity Pebbles,” has been reported to cause respiratory problems and blackouts after one puff, according to an alert Young issued last week.

The drug allegedly was the cause of an accident involving a juvenile who was behind the wheel of a car, drove off the road and slammed into a light pole, Young said. Another juvenile using the same fake pot had the same experience. He ended up in intensive care in a local hospital, where he learned he was suffering “organ failure,” according to Young.