News Coverage
The Partnership for Safe Medicines has been publishing information about the counterfeit drug problem around the world for more than a decade. With experts leading the organization and a committed and passionate set of writers and editors, our content is more in-depth than many other sources, which simply copy links to the news from other websites.
These dangerous drugs get trafficked into Colorado and present a clear and present danger to unsuspecting citizens, who can die from simply ingesting what they think are safe medications. Importing foreign drugs would open a loophole, which increases the chance these dangerous counterfeits enter America unbeknownst to us all.
Concerns over how much constituents pay for their medications have caused multiple states to introduce bills that would legalize drug importation. Florida’s House Bill 19 is just one example of legislators thinking that stepping outside the security of the U.S.’s drug supply chain is a smart option for their state…
According to the Hattiesburg American, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics officials reported that there have been five overdoses and one death since the beginning of March in the area.
Counterfeits coming from Canada have been a big issue in the Sunshine State. The FDA has identified dozens of counterfeit drugs coming into Florida from foreign pharmacies.
“Several other states have attempted to legalize drug importation, but all have failed to show that it’s safe or saves money. The federal government has determined multiple times that drug importation can’t be done safely. I hope, for the sake of Floridians, that state policymakers come to that same conclusion.”
Tallahassee, Florida (March 19, 2019) — The supply and demand of dangerous counterfeit and illegally-imported medications is posing one of our country’s most serious health challenges, and illegal pill presses are directly contributing to this crisis, a new report jointly released today by The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, and The Partnership for Safe Medicines has found….
The Detroit branch of the newly launched Global Trade Task Force (GTTF) has found counterfeit medications amongst the $1 million worth of counterfeit goods seized during one week. The seizures occurred at the Detroit Metro Airport, and the Port Huron Blue Water Bridge ports of entry.
Picking the right pharmacy offers many benefits to the customer. Different pharmacies offer different services, and picking the right one can not only save you money, it can save you time…
In this editorial, published in The Missouri Times on March 11, 2019, Gregg Keller warns that “the issue at hand is not so much the safety of Canadian drugs but the dangers of the global drug trade. Often, pharmacies that claim to be “Canadian” are anything but.”
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Christopher Bantli of Calgary, Canada pleaded guilty in federal court. Bantli distributed controlled substances to customers who made their purchases online. The substances, such as fentanyl, alprazolam, or U-47700, could be pressed to look like “Pez” candies…
Since PSM started following news reports of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, stories of these pills have showed up in 46 states. With this newest story out of New Jersey, the number of states with confirmed deaths caused by fake fentanyl pills now stands at 31…
Law enforcement and medical professionals continue to warn the residents of Arizona that any pill purchased on the street most likely contains fentanyl and could kill them. From San Luis to Scottsdale to Buckeye, teenagers across the state are taking these fake pills, sometimes with tragic results…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to CanaRx, a company that acts as a broker between the foreign pharmacies and the employer-sponsored health insurance plan to provide prescription drugs to their employees. The letter states that CanaRx has been selling unapproved and misbranded drugs to U.S. citizens…
It isn’t just policymakers who believe drug importation will open the U.S. drug supply to counterfeits. In this editorial, published in the Times of Northwest Indiana on March 6, 2019, HIV-positive advocate Brandon Macsata explains that his own physician objected to ordering medicine from Canadian online pharmacies:
“It never crossed my mind that I might have been taking counterfeit medicine, or that the medicines meant to control my HIV could be compromising my immune system. So when my doctor found out, she told me to stop immediately. She warned me that online pharmacies often sell counterfeit drugs.”
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Cory Poelstra of Yankton, South Dakota received a 121-month prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to trafficking in fentanyl. Law enforcement found over 600 fentanyl pills when they searched his home and hundreds of packages that been used to ship online purchases of controlled substances to him…
A South Carolina resident, who was the leader of a counterfeit drug manufacturing and distribution ring, recently was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. Eric Hughes and his co-conspirators used rental properties as clandestine drug labs to produce 500,000 fake pills each months, which were distributed locally as well as to online customers…
The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) have issued a joint statement in opposition to U.S. federal legislation authorizing personal and commercial importation of prescription drugs from Canada.
“While we recognize the desire to address affordability issues in the U.S.,” they write, “we strongly oppose the importation of prescription drugs from Canada because of the risks these policies pose to patient safety and
continuity of care.”
Three individuals and four companies have pending plea agreements in federal court on charges related to the illegal importation and sale of $11 million worth of herbal remedies that contained an undisclosed active pharmaceutical ingredient. Over several years, two of the individuals involved manufactured millions of pills…
The U.S. Department of Justice handed down a superseding indictment in federal court charging five people for their roles in the counterfeit fentanyl pill death of a 32-year-old mother in Colorado in June 2018…
Products containing sibutramine pose a threat to consumers because sibutramine is known to substantially increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients and may present a significant risk for patients with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias or stroke. Health risks of ingesting phenolphthalein could include potentially serious gastrointestinal disturbances, irregular heartbeat, and cancer with long-term use. These products may also interact in life threatening ways with other medications a consumer may be taking.
Counterfeit Iclusig (ponatinib), a cancer drug used to treat chronic myeloid and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, was first found by a Swiss wholesaler. The World Health Organization is warning North American and European cancer patients after two batches of a fake cancer medication were found in three different countries and also sold on the internet…
[UPDATE: This statement has been updated to include all three pieces of pending legislation in Florida. March 5, 2019] Washington, D.C. (March 5, 2019) – Shabbir Safdar, Executive Director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines, released the following statement today in response to three separate proposals from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and and the state…
The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against an Akron, Ohio resident after a search of his home turned up items “consistent with a large-scale pill press operation.” Donyea Nelson received a nine-count indictment in federal court, which included charges for possession of fentanyl, possession of a pill press, and possession of die molds…
Some politicians have suggested that allowing the importation of prescription drugs from Canada would be a safe and effective way to lower the cost of medications for Americans, but this idea overlooks a very important fact: the Canadian drug supply chain is not built to support Canada’s population and the United States’…
Federal charges announced against two New Jersey residents for their roles in a conspiracy to market and distribute misbranded and unapproved new drugs. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a charge of conspiring to distribute and cause the receipt and delivery of misbranded new drugs against both Keith Kovaleski of South Amboy and Inew Maltez of Sayreville…
As of January 2019, counterfeit, fentanyl-laced prescription pills have been reported in 46 states—every state except Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas and Nebraska. The number of states reporting associated deaths has risen 71 percent, from 17 in October 2016 to 29 in December 2018.
In Capitol Hill briefings sponsored by the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) on January 31, former and current law enforcement leaders sounded a warning over the increased flow of counterfeit drugs and lethal fentanyl into the United States, noting that international drug traffickers and crime syndicates see our nation as a lucrative market.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced prison sentences for three members of a large-scale counterfeit fentanyl pill manufacturing and distribution ring based in Elmira, New York. The ringleader, Robert Ian Thatcher, received a 23-year prison sentence. Edward Barrett and Dusty Pemberton, both street level dealers, will spend seven and one-half and five and one-half years in prison respectively…
Two sheriffs in Montana issued public warnings after multiple people died in January because of counterfeit oxycodone pills made with fentanyl. This makes Montana the 30th state in which PSM has documented deaths caused by fake fentanyl pills
The Shasta County District Attorney’s Office in California filed eight felony counts against a local woman who allegedly lied about being a licensed nurse and injected her unsuspecting clients with liquid silicone and illegally-sourced Botox…
2019 has already been a busy year for fentanyl cases in Arizona. Thousands of counterfeit fentanyl pills have been seized, a woman selling pills out of a convenience store has been charged, a 15-year-old suffered a non-fatal overdose at school from what is thought to have been a counterfeit pill, and Customs and Border Protection seized 254 founds of fentanyl hidden in a shipment of cucumbers at the port of entry at Nogales…
In a statement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. discussed the agency’s continuing efforts to combat the spread of illicit opioids and to ensure the security of America’s drug supply chain. Included in their recent efforts, Commissioner Gottlieb noted that the agency has stepped up enforcement and interdiction work at International Mail Facilities and shut down websites illegally selling potentially dangerous, unapproved, and misbranded versions of opioid medications to U.S. citizens…
Thursday, January 17th, 2019 was a busy day for emergency services in Seattle, Washington due to seven overdoses. Public Health – Seattle & King County issued a public warning about a potentially bad batch of drugs laced with fentanyl – both illicit and counterfeit pills – having caused the overdoses…
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a 26-month prison sentence for Tzvi Lexier, a principal at TC Medical Group. After fighting extradition from Canada, Lexier pleaded guilty in federal court for his role that saw over $18 million in misbranded and counterfeit drugs smuggled into the U.S. and sold to doctors’ offices around the country…
On Thursday, January 31, 2018, the Partnership for Safe Medicines held two briefings in Washington, D.C. to inform members of Congress and their staff about the dangers posed to Americans by counterfeit medicines. The events each had three panels and looked at how fake medicines have affected individuals and law enforcement, and also at the roles played by international bad actors and drug cartels…
Traveling to foreign countries for a medical procedure is nothing new, but a dozen Americans who recently traveled to Tijuana, Mexico ended up bringing home something they never dreamed of: a potentially deadly strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria…
The 9th Judicial District Drug Task Force received an award recently at the annual meeting of the Tennessee Narcotic Officers Association. Among their many accomplishments this year, this task force was involved in seizing 10,000 Xanax pills shipped from Canada to a Kingston couple…
In this February 4th, 2019 editorial for Colorado Politics, Denver resident Ali Schroer warns, “I experienced firsthand the dangers of counterfeit, imported drugs, and was critically ill for months as we sought to uncover the source of my illness.”
On Thursday, January 31, 2019, victims of counterfeit medicines and their families, local law enforcement, former DEA agents, and other experts in the fight against counterfeit medicines met for a discussion about the widespread impact fake drugs are having on communities and on the enormous burden the problem places on regulators who are responsible for our drug safety.
Learn more and watch the briefing here.
Former FBI Director Louis Freeh has released an addendum to his 2017 Report on the Potential Impact of Drug Importation Proposals on U.S. Law Enforcement, concluding:
…the government has not done enough to evaluate and improve the capacity of law enforcement to deal with a new pipeline of drugs into the U.S. drug supply, all while . . . more illegal drugs are being shipped to the United States. Passing any drug importation scheme would erase the little progress we have made and set law enforcement further back on their heels.
In this editorial, which first appeared in The Washington Times on January 29, 2019, former FBI Director Louis J. Freeh revisits the problem drug importation poses to law enforcement and regulatory systems already overburdened by the opioid crisis.
In this January 30, 2019 editorial, which was published in the National Association of Manufacturer’s Shopfloor blog, Vice President of Infrastructure Robyn Boerstling warns that even though legislators have good intentions, importation could “result in disastrous outcomes.”
Police Arrest Bridgewater, Massachusetts Man A Second Time For Selling Fake Pills Made with Fentanyl
For the second time in less than a year, police arrested John Bagley of Bridgewater, Massachusetts. He allegedly sold counterfeit pills made with fentanyl both times…
A case brought against an Oregon resident by the U.S. Department of Justice reached its conclusion. Jared Gillespie will spend 97 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to five counts. He purchased tens of thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills online to sell in his home state…
While arresting a Grand Junction, Colorado woman on an outstanding warrant, a police K-9 indicated the presence of narcotics in her vehicle. Inside Marie Matos’s car, police discovered two bags filled with hundreds of pills whose markings indicate that they should be oxycodone. However, “based on training, experience and knowledge of this case these are fentanyl pills”…
In a January 23, 2019 editorial published in The Hill Peter Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner and the president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, explains why the safety risks of importation far outweigh any savings.
Police in Memphis, Tennessee arrested Michael Abraham after receiving a tip that he was about to receive a shipment of counterfeit pills. After the package was delivered, police executed a search warrant on the residence and seized over 13,000 counterfeit pills…
The impurity detected in the active ingredient for Losartan is N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), which is a substance that occurs naturally in certain foods, drinking water, air pollution, and industrial processes, and has been classified as a probable human carcinogen as per international Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classification. Torrent is only recalling lots of losartan containing products that contain Nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) above the acceptable daily intake levels released by the FDA.
What started out as a traffic stop in southern California ended up with the arrest of two men and the seizure of a package that contained thousands of counterfeit pills that tested positive for fentanyl. All those pills plus other illicit narcotics were destined for an address in Alaska…
Coroners and medical examiners do more than just rule on the cause and manner of death. They also photograph scenes, collect physical evidence with law enforcement, transport the bodies for autopsies, and notify the next of kin. With the increased workload due to the opioid crisis, some of these professionals and their budgets are being pushed to the edge…
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that an Alabama resident received a prison sentence of over 10 years after pleading guilty to possession, distribution and conspiracy to distribute hundreds of fake pills made with fentanyl and over 80,000 counterfeit Xanax pill…
The Louisville Metro Police Department started the new year off by announcing a major drug bust. Hidden inside a minivan, they found 20,000 Xanax pills that they say are counterfeits made with fentanyl. Two arrests were made, but no names have been released…
A man in Minnesota who purchased and distributed counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with carfentanil and cocaine received only a three year probation sentence. Joshua Ryan Chlan pled guilty to one count fourth-degree possession with intent to sell. The pills he sold caused three non-fatal overdoses in as many days…
The U.S. Department of Justice filed charges against a father and daughter in Montana for allegedly operating a drug trafficking and distribution operation out of the home they shared. A package shipped from Canada containing over 1,400 Xanax pills that was discovered by Customs and Border Protection agents was the first thing to tip the government off to wrongdoing by the pair…
The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California announced charges against four individuals who allegedly smuggled 10,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border for a known drug trafficker based in Tijuana…
Counterfeit pills continue to be a problem in Canada. In Surrey, British Columbia, a raid in November turned up a drug manufacturing lab that contained a pill press and dyes for over 100 different pills. A high school both in that province and another in Ontario have also recently experienced issues of students overdosing from counterfeit Xanax pills…
Happy Together, Inc. Boynton Beach, FL is voluntarily recalling all lots within expiry of the Rhino 5k capsules to the consumer level. FDA analysis founds these products to be tainted with sildenafil and Tadalafil. Sildenafil/Tadalafil is an FDA approved drug for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, the presence of sildenafil in the Rhino 5k products renders them unapproved drugs for which safety and efficacy have not been established, therefor subject to recall.
Police arrested a social media influencer in southern California who allegedly sold the counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl that contributed to the July 2018 death of a woman in Ramona. Information led police to arrest Michael Steen and charge him with transportation of a controlled narcotic and possession of narcotics for sale…
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, China has been the primary source of illicit fentanyl for years. However, recent busts in Mexico show that the cartels no longer need to rely on China for fentanyl. They are able to synthesize the drug from its precursor chemicals themselves…
A series of drug seizures by the Bremerton Police Department last year has led Federal authorities to a massive drug trafficking organization that was responsible for bringing thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills made with fentanyl into Skagit and Snohomish counties.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a guilty plea from a Rochester, New York man who purchased thousands of counterfeit pills from China and had them shipped to his home. U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized one package on its way to Samuel McFarland in April 2017 that contained over 3,000 pills. In January 2018, a second package contained almost as many pills was found to be headed to his home…
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Waverly, Iowa residents Evan Sage and Cameron Lensmeyer will spend a combined 11 years in prison after they purchased what they thought were oxycodone pills online. After police arrested the pair, tests showed the pills to be counterfeit. Some contained cyclopropyl fentanyl and some contained carfentanil…
Receiving an organ transplant is like being given a new lease on life, but that lease comes with an exceptionally important string attached to it. Strict adherence to your prescribed medications is your best line of defense against rejection. It is crucial that transplant recipients only purchase FDA-approved medications to decrease the chance that their bodies might reject the new organs…
Federal drug trafficking charges have been filed against Gizachew Wondie, a resident of the Capitol Hill section of Seattle, on charges that he was manufacturing and selling counterfeit Xanax pills and other drugs. In addition to the discovery of a handgun, investigators found approximately 11,000 ‘Xanax’ pills stored in large plastic bags, and a large pill press.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a guilty plea from Fernando Jesus Peraza. The U.S. citizen was stopped by Customs and Border Protection attempting to enter into the country with over 20,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl hidden in his vehicle on August 8, 2018…
A Brisbane, California resident has been sentenced to ten years in prison for manufacturing and distributing counterfeit Adderall, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Gino Carl von Eckstein, who pleaded guilty in September, was originally charged with producing fake Adderall pills with pill presses located at a house he was using in San Leandro.
Charges announced against H.J. Zaker Sinder and Mary Mazzi. Police allege that the pair manufactured and distributed counterfeit oxycodone and Xanax pills in the Ocean County, New Jersey area. Testing revealed the pills to contain both fentanyl and heroin…
A federal judge in Maryland handed down a 57-month prison sentence to Ryan Farace. Farace manufactured nearly a million counterfeit Xanax pills and sold them on various online marketplaces…
In this editorial, which was published in The Salt Lake Tribune on December 10, 2018, former DEA agents Javier Peña and Steve Murphy, warn that importing prescription drugs from other countries is “an extremely risky enterprise with potentially tragic consequences.”
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a guilty plea from Tianna Cordova in a Nevada case. Cordova admitted to selling drugs, including the counterfeit pill made with fentanyl that killed 26-year-old Christina Kuerner…
Arizona continues to battle against counterfeit pills made with fentanyl being smuggled across the border by Mexican drug cartels, and victims continue to stack up. One doctor warns about seeing teenagers being taken to the ER after ingesting these pills, and two families hope that by letting people know they lost loved ones to fake fentanyl pills, it might prevent someone else from making the same mistake…
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office has secured another permanent injunction against two individuals for illegally importing and distributing counterfeit, banned, and misbranded pharmaceuticals. Flavia Maria Rodriguez and Salvador Enrique Velasco Sanchez may never again sell medicines or be involved in advertising of any prescription drugs or herbal remedies…
Charges have been filed against Evan and Matthew Stanbery of Bremerton, Washington. The brothers allegedly were the masterminds behind a sophisticated counterfeit pill manufacturing operation. During a search of an apartment used by the pair, police found die molds to make multiple types of pills and three pill presses…
A stolen vehicle report filed with the Montville Police Department in New Jersey led police to break up a narcotics processing lab. Inside the residence of Juan Rodriguez and Beatrice Sepulveda, police found 27 pounds of fake pills made with fentanyl and two additional kilograms of powdered fentanyl…
Hoping to save her failing vision, a retired woman underwent what turned out to be a non-FDA approved treatment at a stem cell clinic in Georgia in September 2016. By December of that year, both of her retinas had detached, leaving her permanently blinded…
In this editorial, which appeared in Inside Sources on November 20, 2018, former chief superintendent of the Ontario Provincial Police Don Bell discusses the threat that gang-backed fentanyl trafficking poses to the U.S. and Canada, and emphasizes the importance of working together to secure the border.
Charges announced against John Mendieta of Mount Vernon, Washington. Mendieta allegedly sold a counterfeit Percocet pill to 27-year-old Ronald Schweigert, who died after taking it. Schweigert was one of four Mount Vernon residents to die after taking a counterfeit Percocet pill laced with fentanyl in less than 45 days…
Law enforcement in Rock Hill, South Carolina arrested a man for allegedly selling counterfeit fentanyl pills. A tip from a concerned citizen started off the six-month long investigation.A search of Gaston’s Barber & Style turned up 22 fake fentanyl pill and led to owner Jimmy Gaston being charged with six counts…
Some seniors who winter in the south cross the border to purchase prescription drugs in Mexico, frequently citing the savings. With counterfeit drugs being an issue acknowledged by Mexico’s government, Americans need to know that there are better savings to be found here in the U.S. They just need to ask their pharmacist…
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation just released their annual report and they consider counterfeit fentanyl pills purchased online to be a contributing factor to the opioid crisis. Across the state, authorities are finding more and more of these types of cases and warned of increased incidents of overdose outbreaks caused by these types of pills…
The U.S. DOJ announced a guilty plea from Robert Ian Thatcher of Elmira, NY. He was a leader of a counterfeit fentanyl pill drug ring that manufactured and distributed fake 30 milligram Percocet pills in the area, as well as in North Carolina. At least two people died from taking the pills sold to this group…
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently released their 2018 National Drug Threat Assessment. With over seven times more people abusing prescription drugs than heroin in this country, the DEA stated that counterfeit pills containing fentanyl pose a genuine public health risk and a law enforcement challenge…
For the second time this year, an indictment has been handed down against the individual who allegedly sold a counterfeit fentanyl pill that killed a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. An investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service into the overdose death of a Navy service member led to the charges against Marcel Travon Robinson III…
The U.S. Department of Justice received a guilty plea from Gage S. Lankas in federal court. Lankas sold hundreds of Xanax pills and 14 oxycodone pills to a 17-year-old. The oxycodone pills were counterfeits made with carfentanil and almost killed the young man who only took half of one…
A grand jury in Northampton County in Pennsylvania charged Gustavo Rivera after prosecutors made their case that he was the person who sold a counterfeit Percocet pill that contained fentanyl to Kara Heckenberger. She died after taking that pill on August 9, 2017…
The California Attorney General announced sentences for three members of the Kybych family. The trio admitted to illegally importing non FDA-approved medicines from Russia and selling them to customers at their stores in the Sacramento area…
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a guilty plea from a Connecticut man who was distributing counterfeit Xanax. Data retrieved from the mobile phone of a Seymour resident that died led police to Kamil Golebiowski. In June 2017, two packages shipped from Canada to him were found to contain approximately 1,400 counterfeit Xanax…
In a Mosaic Science article shared by CNN, author Srinath Perur delves into the global pharmaceutical industry and discovers that in India, counterfeit and substandard medications are an everyday occurrence.
Reports made to the U.S. FDA of adverse reactions caused by items sold at a marketplace in St. Paul, Minnesota led to the seizure of misbranded and counterfeit drugs. While no one was arrested, citations were issued to multiple vendors…
The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) have announced the arrest and indictment of a 23 year-old Highland, California man accused of selling counterfeit oxycodone pills that killed a La Jolla resident.
A Henderson, Nevada woman has been charged in federal court for allegedly selling the counterfeit oxycodone pills made with fentanyl that killed 26-year-old Christiana Kuerner on March 14, 2017. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Daniel Neill of the DEA said fentanyl seizures are increasing in the southern part of the state, with 20,000-30,000 pills being found at a time…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in their report U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the International Mail Facilities (IMFs), describes the daunting job that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) faces when attempting to weed out counterfeit medications and packages containing illicit fentanyl. In 2017, IMFs received 275 million packages. Of these, 10,000 were screened by CBP, and of those 86% contained drugs. The investigation of a suspect package is incredibly time-consuming; an experienced FDA investigator might take as long as 20 minutes to process a package containing just on product.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations has worked thousands of cases since its inception in 1991. With a new fiscal year just starting for them, PSM took a look back at progress made by some of the investigations they have been involved in over the past year…
A new superseding indictment was issued against Aaron Shamo, the Utah resident who allegedly ran a drug trafficking ring that sold hundreds of thousands of counterfeit oxycodone and Xanax pills. The fake oxycodone pills were made with fentanyl, and the new indictment charges Shamo with the June 13, 2016 death of an individual by one of those pills…
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the conclusion of Operation Pangea XI’s International Week of Action. In its eleventh year, Operation Pangea targets websites that sell counterfeit and misbranded drugs. This year’s effort shut down 465 websites that were selling non-FDA approved prescription drugs including drugs for oncology, antivirals, opioids and other untested prescription drugs to U.S. consumers.
The board members of The Partnership for Safe Medicines praise the passage of the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act” or the “SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which includes the STOP Act. This legislation will have a positive impact on the fight to save lives and keep fentanyl out of the United States…
Two residents of Worland, Wyoming have been arrested and charged for selling counterfeit oxycodone pills made with fentanyl. A young woman suffered a non-fatal overdose as a result of those pills…
A long-term investigation in New York City into a drug ring ended with the arrest of three men. One of the men was a superintendent who allegedly allowed the residential building’s boiler room and a vacant apartment to be used to manufacture counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl and heroin…
A former Rice University football player has been charged with causing the death of a 21-year-old student after selling the young man counterfeit hydrocodone pills made with carfentanil. Carfentanil is one of fentanyl’s many analogues. A lethal dose is so small it cannot be seen with the human eye…
A year-long investigation in Ventura County started off small with a total of 600 counterfeit Roxicodone pills seized. Today, law enforcement has seized a total of $10.8 million worth of Sinaloa cartel drugs including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, powdered fentanyl, and, of course, those fake pills all from one drug trafficking operation…