WASHINGTON, Nov 7, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – US authorities warned Monday that
“mass quantities” of counterfeit prescription drugs laced with the opioid
fentanyl are being produced in Mexico for distribution in North America.
A sample of tablets seized in the US found that 27 percent contained
potentially lethal doses of fentanyl, according to the Drug Enforcement
Administration.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that US authorities blame for more than 100
deaths a day in the United States.
Mexican drug cartels “are now sending counterfeit pills made with fentanyl
in bulk to the United States for distribution,” said the DEA’s acting chief,
Uttam Dhillon.
“Counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl and fentanyl-laced heroin are
responsible for thousands of opioid-related deaths in the United States each
year,” he said.
On average, 130 people a day die in the United States of opioid overdoses,
according to government statistics, which show that fentanyl is involved in
more deaths than any other drug.
The drug is 50 times more potent than heroine, with only a few milligrams
enough to cause death.
The DEA considers a lethal dose to be about two milligrams, but that
varies according to an individual’s physical size, tolerance, previous
consumption and other factors.
China, the biggest supplier of fentanyl in the United States, in May
banned all variants of fentanyl, an action applauded by the administration of
Donald Trump.
But experts at the time said the Chinese action could incentive production
elsewhere, including Mexico.