One Pill Can Kill

In September 2021, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made an announcement about seizing a historic quantity of fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl that was being smuggled into the U.S. At that time, 1.8 million fentanyl-laced pills realistically made to look like legitimate prescription drugs were seized. Their message to the public at that time was that opioids had caused 93,000 fatal drug overdoses in the U.S. in 2020 and that one pill can kill.

The DEA revealed that Mexican drug cartels are mass-producing illicit fentanyl and fake pills laced with fentanyl. The chemicals, sourced mostly from China, are distributed through criminal networks in the U.S.

The fentanyl pills are almost identical in appearance to such legitimate prescription medications as Vicodin®, Adderall®, Percocet®, Oxycontin®, and  Xanax®. The fake pills are more deadly than ever. According to 2021 DEA lab testing, 4 out of 10 fake pills laced with fentanyl contained a potentially lethal dose. Another shocking statistic was that there was a 430% increase since 2019 of fake pills containing fentanyl.

The latest DEA update reveals that, at this current time, 6 out of 10 fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.

If proper diligence is not applied to ensure that these life-threatening pills cannot be smuggled into local jails, the lives of vulnerable inmates will be more at risk than ever.

Also see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8 of this ongoing series.

Providing helpful resources for inmates incarcerated in municipal and county Texas jails is the purpose of this site. There is never an intention on this website to accuse an entity or individual of engaging in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor