Two months after autopsy results showed pop star Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose, investigators have discovered the drug at the late musician’s estate, according to the Associated Press.
An official who asked to remain anonymous told the AP on Sunday that counterfeit pills containing the highly addictive synthetic opioid were found at Prince’s Paisley Park home outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Fentanyl is 50-times more powerful than heroin. The drug was discovered inside an Aleve bottle that held falsely labeled “Watson 385” pills — which are supposed to contain both acetaminophen and hydrocodone. At least one pill in the bottle tested positive for fentanyl, the official told the AP.
The pill, which looked similar to roughly 20 other pills found in the Aleve bottle, also contained lidocaine and U-4770, which is a synthetic drug that is eight-times more powerful than morphine.
The autopsy results for the late musician, famous for 1980’s hits including “Purple Rain” and “Little Red Corvette,” were released in June.
Prince died on April 21 at the age of 57.
The official, who asked to remain anonymous due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, also told the AP that records show that Prince had no prescription for any controlled substances in the state in the year before he died.
Authorities are also looking into how Prince obtained fentanyl, according to the AP.
Fentanyl has been responsible for a surge in overdose deaths parts of the U.S., the AP wrote. Part of the problem is counterfeit pills such as the ones found in Prince’s home, as users sometimes don’t know they’re taking the powerful drug, according to a recent Star Tribune report.
Oxycodone or codeine and other non-controlled substances have also been found at Paisley Park and another aspirin bottle found on the property had more than 60 counterfeit tablets in it, according to the AP.
The week before his death, Prince’s plane reportedly made an emergency landing at Quad City International Airport in Moline, Illinois, as the singer was en route home from a concert in Atlanta. Prince, who was rushed to a nearby hospital, was reportedly treated for an overdose of the opioid painkiller Percocet and released after three hours, according to TMZ.