Thousands of potentially harmful pills have been removed from the streets of Yazoo City, but local officers urge parents to be aware of the latest rash that has hit the community.
The Yazoo City Police Department has made a variety of drug arrests recently. But there is one controlled substance that seems to be increasing in popularity throughout the community.
“Our department has made significant recent drug arrests,” said Interim Chief Jay Winstead. “Within those arrests, all have included ecstasy (MDMA). We want the parents to be aware of what these ecstasy pills look like in an effort to protect your children who could possibly mistake these pills for candy.”
The ecstasy pills confiscated by Yazoo police officers are shaped much like candy and are often shaped in the form of familiar symbols, such as a dolphin or even Star Wars characters.
“It looks very much like candy,” Winstead said. “I have a three-year-old daughter, and if she saw these on the ground, she would pick them up. Parents need to be aware of these dangerous pills.”
The Yazoo City Police Department has recently recovered about 4,000 ecstasy pills off the streets of Yazoo City. That number alone concerns local investigators.
“This is not just one or two pills,” Winstead said. “This is hundreds at one time, which tells us that this is not just an individual getting these for personal use. This is for distributing to people within our community.”
Not only do the pills pose a harmful risk for children who mistake them for candy, but adolescents and teenagers could come into contact with these pills very easily.
“We have basically almost had a six to seven-month summer with kids out of school due to COVID,” Winstead said. “These kids can easily be approached by someone with these pills while they are out walking the streets. People selling these pills could target kids who are not being supervised by their parents.”
Winstead said the department continues its efforts to remove these pills off the streets. But he urges for any citizens to call the police department at 746-1131 for any information pertaining to the recent rash of this drug’s presence in the community.
