The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) “has seized enough fentanyl to provide a lethal dose to every American” this year as Mexican-based criminal organizations are flooding America with fake prescription drugs laced with the narcotic, a DEA press release said.
The fake drugs, mass-produced in Mexico with chemicals largely sourced from China, have been trafficked through the use of social media platforms, the release said.
“Mexican criminal drug networks are harnessing the perfect drug trafficking tool: social media applications that are available on every smartphone,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in the release. “They are using these platforms to flood our country with fentanyl. The ease with which drug dealers can operate on social media and other popular smartphone apps is fueling our Nation’s unprecedented overdose epidemic.”
U.S. overdose deaths continue to persist with a new victim dying every five minutes, the release said. The DEA has found a distinct correlation between fentanyl-related overdoses and criminal drug networks in Mexico.
The DEA released its first Public Safety Alert in six years after seizing 20.4 million fake prescription pills in 2021, the release said. The administration is concerned that these pills, nearly identical to genuine prescriptions and often laced with lethal doses of fentanyl, will lead to several unnecessary deaths.
“These fake prescription pills are designed to appear nearly identical to legitimate prescriptions – such as Oxycontin, Percocet, Vicodin, Adderall, Xanax and other medicines – and have been found in every state in the country,” the release said.
The DEA also unveiled the One Pill Can Kill campaign to advise the American public of the hazards of fake prescription pills.
“This holiday season, every parent, family member and friend should take a few minutes to share a simple message: ‘One Pill Can Kill,’” Milgram said in the release. “Know that DEA remains relentless in our commitment to take down the criminal drug networks that threaten the safety and health of American communities.”
