COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio attorney general David Yost announced that drugs confiscated in Franklin County have been identified as rainbow fentanyl. This is the first confirmation of the drug here in Ohio.

The attorney general says rainbow fentanyl are colorful and deadly pills designed to look like candy. Over 1,000 pills were seized by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office during a Columbus-area drug-trafficking investigation. The sheriff’s office says these pills originated in Mexico but were intercepted by Franklin County before they could be distributed.

Chief Deputy Rick Minerd with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office says these pills are already being sold on the streets of central Ohio. “Some of them look like vitamins. They look like innocent pills that you might get over the counter at a grocery store or at a pharmacy,” says Chief Deputy Minerd. “Again, little do people know they are dangerous substances there.”

Chief Minerd believes rainbow fentanyl is being marketed to people of all ages, but teens and young adults are especially at risk. “In a social setting when somebody offers you one of these pills, they look pretty, they look cute, and you think of that as being innocent. Unfortunately, it’s taking people’s lives across the country,” says the chief deputy.

Now that it is confirmed to be in Franklin County, Minerd says people need to take this seriously. He suggests parents talk to their kids about what taking rainbow fentanyl could do. “Somebody who doesn’t use it every day, so they don’t have a tolerance, could accept a pill from someone in the community thinking it’s innocent for a headache or backache. They take this and that pill could be the last one they ever take,” says Chief Deputy Minerd.

The criminal investigation into the rainbow fentanyl is still ongoing at this time. Anyone with information about the drug is asked to reach out to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.