COLUMBUS – Federal authorities are warning that pills being sold on the streets, disguised as prescription drugs, may actually contain potentially lethal doses of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
Drug cartels are manufacturing mass quantities of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid that is lethal in minute doses, and distributing them in the U.S., according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
The agency found that 27 percent of the pills seized nationwide between January and March tested positive for contained potentially deadly doses of fentanyl, said acting administrator Uttam Dhillon.
“The drug cartels flooding the Midwest with counterfeit pills are sophisticated operations. Their poisonous pills are made so well, it takes a chemist to determine if a pill is laced with fentanyl or not. What one may think is a legal and pharmacy-produced pill, can actually be a lethal dose of fentanyl,” said DEA Field Division Special Agent in Charge Keith Martin.
Fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids remain the primary driver behind the ongoing opioid crisis, with fentanyl involved in more deaths than any other illicit drug.
A lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be about two milligrams, but can vary based on an individual’s body size, tolerance, amount of previous usage and other factors.