DEA warns of sharp increase in fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine

According to the agency, more than 9.5 million counterfeit pills have been seized this year, more than the past two years combined. In a press release, the agency said that DEA lab tests revealed that there had also been a dramatic increase in the number of pills containing at least 2 milligrams of the drug, which is considered one dose. deadly.

Many of these drugs are produced by gangs and criminal drug networks and look like prescription opioids like oxycodone or hydrocodone, or stimulants like Adderall. These pills are widely available online and often sold through social media. The DEA said China supplies chemicals for making fentanyl to Mexico and the vast majority of counterfeit pills imported into the United States are produced in Mexico.

The alert comes at a time when the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a record number of drug overdose deaths. In 2020, the CDC reported more than 93,000 overdose deaths, largely related to illicit and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

“The United States is facing an unprecedented crisis of overdose deaths fueled by illegally manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine,” DEA administrator Anne Milgram said in a statement. “The DEA is focusing its resources on eliminating the violent drug traffickers causing the most harm and posing the greatest threat to the safety and health of Americans. Today we are alerting the public to this danger so that people can have the information they need to protect themselves and their children. “