DEA: Large Number Of Counterfeit Prescription Pills From Mexico Contain Lethal Doses Of Fentanyl
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Drug Enforcement Administration officials say counterfeit prescription pills from Mexico contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.
The light blue tablets are stamped with an M on one side. The other side of the innocuous-looking tablets are stamped with a "30" and line that bisects the pill. The DEA says they are being manufactured in mass quantities by Mexican drug cartels.
DEA officials say they have determined 27 percent of the tablets seized nationwide during just the first quarter of this year contain potentially lethal doses of fentanyl.
A lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be about two milligrams, but can change depending on a person's body size, tolerance and previous usage. Fentanyl has been involved in more deaths than any other illicit drug, according to the DEA.
"Counterfeit prescription pills and overdose deaths do not discriminate and they impact every community within every demographic," DEA Special Agent-In-Charge William D. Bodner said in a statement. "These counterfeit pills are extremely dangerous and often times the user is unaware of how lethal they are and what's inside them."
