Ocean County officials warn of tainted Hello Kitty-stamped heroin

Officials in Ocean County are warning of a possibly tainted batch of heroin stamped with a picture of cartoon character Hello Kitty.

Several wax folds bearing the stamp were found at the scene of a June 21 overdose death at a home in Stafford Township, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

In that case, police and medics discovered an 18-year-old man lying on his back on a bedroom floor. He was pronounced dead within minutes.

The Ocean County forensic laboratory tested residue from the wax folds and found the product was almost entirely comprised of fentanyl, which was cut with an agent that has not yet been determined.

The powerful synthetic painkiller, which is sometimes mixed with heroin, has been linked to scores of overdose deaths this year in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.

Anyone with information on those selling the Hello Kitty-stamped heroin is asked to contact the Special Operations Group of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office at 732-929-2027 ext. 3235.