Update On Fentanyl in Georgia

Image courtesy of the Georgia Poison Center The August newsletter from the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) News describes how the Georgia Poison Center (GPC) played a crucial role in the early detection of deadly, fentanyl-laced fake Percocet in Georgia. NDEWS describes how a call from an emergency-room doctor triggered the process of identifying…

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Just A Single Counterfeit Pill Can Kill: Understanding The Fentanyl Crisis In The U.S.

Counterfeit pills containing fentanyl have been found in 40 states. Countless families grieve for the loved ones lost to the opioid epidemic. But what is fentanyl? How is it getting into the U.S.? What makes it so deadly? Who does fentanyl threaten the most and how can Americans protect themselves? The Partnership for Safe Medicines has created this infographic to answer many of the questions you may have about fentanyl and its dangers.

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DEA Suspects Deadly Fake Percocet in Georgia Coming from Mexican Cartels

Source: Georgia Bureau of Investigations

Overdoes by Counties in Georgia DEA agents suspect Mexican drug cartels are behind the wave over overdoses and deaths caused by fake Percocet pills made with fentanyl analogues. The DEA is exploring possible ties between the national wave of fake pain pills laced with fentanyl and Mexican crime organizations, reports Georgia news station Alive11. DEA…

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Former Head of FDA-OCI: “Proposed drug importation law will worsen U.S. opioid epidemic”

The Philadelphia Inquirer published this editorial by George M. Karavetsos, a partner with the global law form DLA Piper, and former director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations.

Proposed Drug Importation Law Will Worsen U.S. Opioid Epidemic
More than 60,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 100 times more powerful than morphine, caused one-fifth of those fatalities. Local law enforcement and health professionals are working at a feverish pace to prevent fatal overdoses. Even librarians in drug-plagued neighborhoods . . .

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Deadly Fentanyl-Laced Percocet Killing People in Georgia

Source: Georgia Bureau of Investigations

As reported by WSB-TV2 Atlanta, chemistry experts at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) issued a public safety warning to the state’s citizens. Agents warned that the latest crisis is counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and fentanyl analogues sold to unsuspecting people on the street. GBI spokeswoman Nelly Mile called the situation unprecedented, noting that, “If…

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The Drug Counterfeiters Next Door: Fentanyl-laced Oxycodone Pills Distributed from Utah Suburb

A Utah man and five friends are facing federal drug trafficking, drug counterfeiting, mail and wire-fraud charges for allegedly distributing hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription medications laced with fentanyl, a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release reports. The DOJ alleges that Aaron Michael Shamo and his co-conspirators turned his suburban Cottonwood Heights home into…

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Death of Ottawa Teens Blamed on Counterfeit Percocet Made with Fentanyl

Investigators confirm that pills found near Chloe Kotval’s body were fake Percocet containing a lethal dose of fentanyl. She is the youngest Canadian to be killed by fentanyl-laced fake medication, but hardly the first. Chloe Kotval, a 14 year old Ottawa high school student died on February 14, 2017 after taking a counterfeit pill laced…

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