In a brutal month spanning March 23 to April 23, 2016, fourteen people in the Sacramento area died of suspected drug overdoses, and 38 others were poisoned. At the beginning authorities had no idea why there was a sudden spike in overdose deaths and suspected “contaminated drugs.” They would not know until the month was out and the recovered pills had been analyzed that these deaths were caused by counterfeit pills made with deadly fentanyl. One of those who was lost was a 28-year-old father of three, Jerome Butler.
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Second man indicted in the counterfeit fentanyl pill death of Jonathan Ellington in Colorado. Prosecutors believe that Bruce Holder was not just involved, but is the man who is responsible for smuggling the counterfeit oxycodone pills into the U.S. from Mexico. Ellington’s death may not be the only one caused by these fake fentanyl pills…
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A newly formed task for on Long Island made their first arrest of a man who allegedly ran a drug ring that sold counterfeit oxycodone pills made with fentanyl. Between May and July, 2018, Ismail Latif sold a confidential source over 1,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills. The deals were made at one of several houses, one time inside a CVS pharmacy, and another time at a Mobile gas station…
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Canada continues to battle its own fentanyl crisis. Nearly 4,000 Canadians lost their lives to opioids last year, with 68% of the deaths involving fentanyl. Counterfeit pills and fentanyl have been found in every province and territory…
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In another example of why it is important to ask your pharmacist if paying cash might cost less than using your insurance with a prescription, a couple paid $285 for a 90-day supply of pills that they could have gotten for only $40 cash somewhere else…
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U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, during a routine inspection, discovered 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of illicit fentanyl powder that had been hidden in a shipment of iron oxide from China. According to CBP, a narcotics detector dog alerted agents to the presence of the drugs inside barrels of iron oxide that had arrived at the facility in late June.
Read MoreThere are certainly things we can learn from other countries’ healthcare successes, but importation is not the right approach.
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WSB-TV Atlanta shared a story about Federal agents in Roswell conducting an investigation into the distribution of fentanyl pills disguised as prescription medication. During their warranted search of a property in North Hall County, investigators discovered a cache of guns, a large amount of counterfeit “Xanax” pills, and raw materials for pill making more.
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The trial of Aaron Shamo, the Utah man accused of running a major fentanyl pill manufacturing and distribution ring, has been pushed back until 2019. Almost two years ago, prosecutors were investigating 28 deaths potentially tied to this case, and now they have indicated they intend to file a superseding indictment which will include a “death-count” change…
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This distressing situation shows that deadly fentanyl analogues are killing Americans who are using laced non-opioid prescriptions.
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