BOSTON (WHDH) - The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning the public about dangerous counterfeit prescription pills that are killing Americans.
Mexican drug cartels are manufacturing mass quantities of the pills containing fentanyl — a synthetic opioid that is lethal in minute doses — for distribution throughout North America, according to the DEA.
Based on a sampling of tablets seized nationwide between January and March 2019, the DEA says it found that 27 percent contained potentially lethal doses of fentanyl.
“Capitalizing on the opioid epidemic and prescription drug abuse in the United States, drug trafficking organizations are now sending counterfeit pills made with fentanyl in bulk to the United States for distribution,” DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon said in a news release. “Counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl and fentanyl-laced heroin are responsible for thousands of opioid-related deaths in the United States each year.”
A lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be about two milligrams, according to the DEA, but it can vary based on an individual’s body size, tolerance, amount of previous use, among other factors.
“Buying drugs from street dealers is deadly especially when fentanyl is disguised as a real pharmaceutical,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian D. Boyle said. “The DEA and our local, state and federal law enforcement partners stand committed to taking deadly fentanyl off the streets of New England and ensuring those who manufacture and traffic these lethal pills are held accountable to the communities and families they damage with this poison.”
Fentanyl is said to be involved in more deaths than any other illicit drug.
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