DEA: 4 in 10 counterfeit pills contain fatal dose of fentanyl
DEA: Fake opioid pills laced with fentanyl are 'existential threat' to US
Fake opiod pills laced with fentanyl called ‘Mexi-blues’ or the ‘blues’ on the streets are driving the spikes in addiction, crime, homelessness and death. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration launched a public awareness campaign called ‘One Pill Can Kill’ and has been targeting the efforts of Mexican cartels to smuggle the pills across the border. "This is an existential threat to the United States. China and Mexico are flooding our city streets with poison," said Frank Tarentino, DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle Field Division in an in-depth interview.
SEATTLE - The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) warns that 4 in 10 counterfeit pills circulating in the U.S. contain a fatal dose of fentanyl.
The U.S. is grappling with a fentanyl crisis, one which has become markedly worse in Western Washington. Officials warn that drug networks are mass-producing fake opioid prescription pills, designed to look like oxycodones, hydrocodones, alprazolams and amphetamines.
These pills are practically identical to real prescription pills, but are cut with fentanyl or methamphetamine.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be deadly even in very small amounts, and other drugs, including heroin, meth and marijuana, can be laced with the dangerous drug. Mexico and China are the primary sources for the flow of fentanyl into the United States, according to the DEA.
An agency lab studied an assortment of counterfeit pills, and concluded that 4 in 10 of them contain a lethal dose of fentanyl. The DEA has been following the spread of the deadly drug, and in September issued a national alert for an "alarming increase" in the availability of these pills. Officials say they are easily sold on e-commerce sites, and often target minors.
In 2021, federal agents seized more than 20 million fake, fentanyl-laced pills—more than in 2019 and 2020 combined. That same year, fentanyl overdoses became the number-one cause of death among U.S. adults ages 18–45.
RELATED: Fentanyl overdoses become No. 1 cause of death among US adults, ages 18-45: 'A national emergency'
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