(WWJ) -- For the first time in six years, the Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a public safety warning on the sharp increase of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and meth.
The counterfeit pills are made in criminal drug network labs and marketed as legitimate prescription pills.
According to the DEA, the United States is facing an unprecedented crisis of overdose deaths fueled by illegally manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Officials say these counterfeit pills contain dangerous and extremely addictive drugs that are more lethal and more accessible than ever before, and are killing unsuspecting Americans at an alarming rate.
“What is particularly alarming is how these pills are often marketed and packaged as legitimate prescription medications,” said DEA Detroit Division Special Agent in Charge Keith Martin, whose office oversees DEA operations in Michigan, Ohio and northern Kentucky. “To the naked eye they appear to be the same pill you would get at a local pharmacy, when in fact they often contain lethal dosages of fentanyl.”
Across all states, more than 9.5 million counterfeit pills were seized so far in 2021, which is more than the last two years combined.
For more information, visit www.dea.gov/onepill.
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