DEA warns of flood of fake, potentially lethal prescription pills

The Drug Enforcement Administration on Monday warned of an increase in fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine in an effort to raise public awareness of the tablets’ lethality and availability.

Westmoreland County Detective Tony Marcocci said law enforcement officials locally have been seeing a rise in fake pills created to look like legitimate prescription medication

“Probably the last 12 months it’s really increased,” he said. “We’re finding a lot of them.”

The counterfeit pills can be created by large drug networks in Mexico or by anyone who has access to a pill press. They can resemble Oxycontin, Xanax or other legitimate drugs and then be sold online or through dealers. The DEA reported that more than 9.5 million counterfeit pills have been seized nationwide in 2021, which is more than 2019 and 2020 combined. Laboratory testing showed many of the pills contained fentanyl.

“In fact, DEA lab analyses reveal that two out of every five fake pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose,” said Anne Milgram, agency administrator.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid more powerful than heroin, has contributed to an explosion of drug overdose deaths in the region for several years.

Marcocci said dealers are making lots of money with the pills but could face a longer jail sentence if they’re busted with fake medications that contain fentanyl.

“We’re seeing thousands of them,” he said. “The money is outrageous that they’re making on these.”

The DEA warned that medications should only be prescribed by a medical professional and dispensed by a pharmacist. The public alert does not apply to legitimately obtained medications. The agency released photographs of authentic and fake prescription medications at dea.gov/onepill as part of a “One Pill Can Kill” awareness campaign.