Fentanyl
DEA Warns that More Types of Counterfeit Prescription Drugs Made with Fentanyl are On the Horizon
In their just-released 2017 Drug Threat Assessment, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has sounded the alarm about the role counterfeit prescription pills are playing an increasingly dangerous role in national opioid deaths.
[...]2 Chinese Nationals Among 21 People Indicted in International Fentanyl Smuggling Rings
In an unprecedented action, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced federal grand jury indictments against two Chinese nationals living and working in China. It is alleged the pair operated separate businesses that manufacture illicit fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and export them to the United States.
[...]Hazmat Cleaning Company Describes Conditions Inside A House Used As A Fentanyl Pill Mill
An Edmonton home that was used as a pill mill for the largest fake fentanyl pill seizure in Canadian history was deemed uninhabitable until after a hazardous remediation company came in to clean the place up. This is what it was like inside…
[...]Health Officials In Seattle Warn of Counterfeit “Kill Pills” Made With Fentanyl
Public health officials in Seattle announced that a batch of pills found on a body tested positive for fentanyl. They urged the public to be careful, reminding them that fentanyl has no smell or taste and a simple visual inspection cannot say whether a pill is real or a counterfeit…
[...]PSM’s President Weighs in on Importation Fueling Fentanyl Epidemic
As PSM’s Board President, Dr. Marv Shepherd, wrote in an editorial for the Washington Examiner that was published on October 10, 2017, opening the United States to unregulated, imported drugs will offer fentanyl traffickers even more access to Americans:
“The reality is that criminals throughout the illegal supply chain from China to the streets of U.S. cities are making money at the cost of American lives. We need to be taking steps to eliminate illegal fentanyl from our communities, not providing new avenues for those who want to see just the opposite happen.”
[...]In Fight Against Counterfeit Pills, Ontario Lawmakers Seek To Restrict Pill Presses
Seeking to prevent any more deaths from fake pills made with fentanyl, the Legislature of Ontario is considering a bill that would make it illegal for anyone except pharmacists to own a pill press, an essential piece of equipment utilized in the manufacturing of counterfeit medicines…
[...]Young Californian Dies After Accidentally Taking Counterfeit Xanax Made with Fentanyl
The evening of October 26, 2015, twenty-nine-year-old Aptos, California resident Tosh Ackerman took a benedryl and part of a Xanax pill to help him sleep. He never woke up, and his girlfriend found him dead the next day. Ackerman died because the Xanax he took was counterfeit. It contained a fatal dose of a powerful synthetic opioid called fentanyl.
[...]New Report Shows Widespread and Deadly Impact of Illegally-Imported Fentanyl (April 2018 Update)
A new report released April 10, 2018 by The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) illustrates the growing deadly toll that illegally-imported fentanyl is having on communities throughout the U.S. PSM’s analysis confirms reports of counterfeit medicines made with fentanyl in 43 states, with fentanyl-related deaths confirmed in 22 states. The updated findings follow a report released by PSM last September that found a presence of counterfeit fentanyl in 40 states and related deaths in 16 states.
[...]Police Arrest Man Selling 3,500 Fake Fentanyl Pills in Arizona
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Jesus Madueno, who was attempting to sell 3,500 counterfeit oxycodone to undercover officers. The pills were made with fentanyl…
[...]State Attorney General Warns Fake Pills Containing Fentanyl Found in Western NY
State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman warned citizens in western New York that fake opioid pills made with fentanyl have been discovered for the first time in their part of the state: “These poison pills are the latest troubling development in our state’s opioid crisis.”…
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