Rise in overdose deaths from fake fentanyl-laced pills prompts DEA warning

The Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a public safety alert about a rise in fake prescription drugs being sold on the black market containing a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. The synthetic opioid is the primary driver of an alarming increase in overdose deaths in the US, according to the DEA.

“These counterfeit pills are killing people because of deception,” said Bill Bodner, DEA special agent in Los Angeles. “People think it’s oxycodone, they think it’s Percocet, they think it’s Xanax, and in reality, there’s no pharmaceutical ingredients in these drugs. It’s actually just fentanyl.”