VICTORVILLE, Calif. – Authorities in San Bernardino County are investigating how three preschoolers came into contact with suspected fentanyl-laced pills at La Petite Academy in Victorville.
Deputies responded to the preschool on March 18 after staff discovered unknown blue pills in a classroom. Recognizing the “M30”-imprinted pills as possible fentanyl-laced counterfeits, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said staff immediately alerted law enforcement. Surveillance footage later revealed that three children had ingested the pills. Those children, along with two staff members, were taken to local hospitals, where at least one child tested positive for fentanyl.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Gang/Narcotics Division Overdose Response Team took over the investigation on March 19, conducting additional interviews with staff and parents. La Petite Academy is cooperating with authorities to determine how the pills entered the facility.
This alarming incident is not isolated. Emily’s Hope previously reported on a similar case in North Carolina last year, where two children were hospitalized after ingesting suspected fentanyl at a day care. Emily’s Hope also reported on a 1-year-old boy who died in a New York City day care after authorities say he was exposed to fentanyl. Three other children, from 8 months to 2 years old, became seriously ill and were revived with naloxone.
A growing body of research underscores the rising danger fentanyl poses to children. A newly published medical study in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse analyzed pediatric non-fatal fentanyl exposures across the United States between 2015 and 2023. The study documented over 3,000 cases, with a dramatic rise in severe cases over time. In 2015, 16% of cases were considered life-threatening—by 2023, that number had surged to more than 44%.
The study found that nearly 60% of cases involved teenagers aged 13–19, while around 40% involved children aged 0–12.
