Mexican drug cartels distributing deadly fentanyl pills across North America: DEA

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Mexican drug cartels are manufacturing large doses of counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl for distribution throughout North America, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said Monday.

The DEA said its findings were based on a sampling of counterfeit pills seized nationwide between January and March 2019. 27 percent of the pills contained “potentially lethal doses of fentanyl,” they said.

“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,” said DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon. “Counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl and fentanyl-laced heroin are responsible for thousands of opioid-related deaths in the United States each year.”

The DEA says Mexican drug gangs are distributing large quantities of fentanyl-laced prescription pills into North America. (DEA)

The DEA did specify what pills were being laced with fentanyl. A photo released on its website showed counterfeit pills stamped with the letter “M” and the number “30.”

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Fentanyl remains one of the primary drivers behind the U.S.’ opioid crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), synthetic opioids were involved in 47,600 overdose deaths in the U.S.

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Much of U.S. fentanyl originates in China, but is pressed into pills in Mexico and smuggled into the U.S. The DEA says a lethal dose of fentanyl is only about two milligrams, though a person’s body size, tolerance, and previous usage also play a factor.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.