Manchester, NH (July 12, 2024) – A multi-month federal and state investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Manchester Police Department led to the discovery of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills being produced in Manchester. Jerry Summers, 44, of Manchester, was charged on numerous counts in connection with the crime.
On July 1, 2024, the DEA’s Clandestine Laboratory Team executed a federal search warrant of a local office suite rented under the name “Summertime Drywall and Maintenance LLC.” DEA agents were able to locate a pill press in the office building covered in powered residue. After drug testing, it was revealed that the powdered residue contained fentanyl and amphetamines.
A federal search warrant executed by the DEA’s Clandestine Laboratory Team led DEA agents to find a pill press located in a Manchester office suite, rented under the name “Summer Drywall and Maintenance LLC.” After drug testing, powdered residue found on and around the press was revealed to contain fentanyl and amphetamines.
Prior to his arrest, Summers had sold counterfeit pills disguised as OxyContin and Adderall to a confidential informant on two separate occasions. The OxyContin marked pills tested positive for fentanyl and the Adderall marked pills tested positive for methamphetamine.
“I think it highlights the significance and the dangers of the pills that are hitting the streets, not only here in Manchester, but across the state, across the country,” said Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg in a WMUR article. “So, particularly to parents and our youth that are out there, you need to be really aware of this case and the fact that one pill can kill.”
Summers’s arrest is one of many in the state and around the country highlighting the grave reality of the presence of counterfeit pills and fentanyl in NH’s local communities. Following this discovery of counterfeit pills being produced in Manchester, law enforcement officials warned the public of the potential presence of these pills on the street.
“It’s been going across the county for several years, and New Hampshire is not immune from it,” said Paul Spera, DEA assistant special agent in charge, in a WMUR article. “They’re marketed as true Adderall, as true Percocet, but they’re not. They contain methamphetamine, and they oftentimes contain fentanyl, which is extremely, extremely deadly.”
Additional Resources:
https://www.wmur.com/article/detention-hearing-jerry-summers-7824/61536902
https://www.wmur.com/article/jerry-summers-manchester-new-hampshire-drug-charges/61488723#
https://www.justice.gov/usao-nh/pr/manchester-man-arrested-manufacturing-and-trafficking-counterfeit-pharmaceutical-pills
