Poisoned Pills

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued its first public safety alert in six years about mass-produced counterfeit pills containing lethal doses of fentanyl. The alert says this deadly dose of fentanyl is small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil, and the fake pills are being manufactured to look identical to prescription opioid medications such as Xanax, Vicodin, Percocet, and Oxycontin. The DEA alert adds that fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and at least 30 times more potent than heroin. Mexican criminal organizations, known as drug cartels, are primary sources of these deadly drugs with Chinese criminal networks the primary suppliers of fentanyl to the cartels. These deadly drugs are available in open-air drug markets as well as on-line. During 2020 there were 1,387 overdose deaths in Cook County alone, including Chicago. For more information about these deadly counterfeit pills, please see the video below that was aired September 27, 2021 by NBC News as reported by Kate Snow.