KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Clay County Sheriff's Office is currently investigating six overdose deaths involving counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl, up from two deaths in all of 2020.
The department is also actively investigating 13 overdose cases involving counterfeit pills, according to an email from the office.
The sheriff's office posted on Facebook Friday warning about the increasing threat of these spiked pills.
"We are investigating many of these cases involving the deaths and overdoses of teens and young adults," the post said.
Clay County isn't the only county dealing with overdose deaths from counterfeit pills. Police in Chillicothe - located in Livingston County - are investigating an fatal overdose of a 17-year-old femalewho had ingested counterfeit prescription pills Sunday.
Officers have arrested a 23-year-old woman who they determined distributed the pills to the teenager, and they are pursuing murder charges against the suspect. A 33-year-old man was also arrested after a search warrant located more counterfeit pills and controlled substances.
This problem seems to be occurring nationwide.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, as a part of its One Pill Can Kill campaign, issued a warning about an alarming increase in fake prescription pills containing both fentanyl and methamphetamine at the end of September.
"The Drug Enforcement Administration warns the American public of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine,"the DEA release said. "International and domestic criminal drug networks are mass-producing fake pills, falsely marketing them as legitimate prescription pills, and killing unsuspecting Americans."
The department had reported seizing more than 9.6 million counterfeit pills by the end of September, which is more than the last two years combined.
In 2018, the DEA seized 2.6 million counterfeit pills, while in 2020 they seized 6.8 million. They reported finding these pills in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
"Officials report a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit pills containing at least two milligrams of fentanyl, which is considered a deadly dose," the release said. "The number of DEA-seized counterfeit pills with fentanyl has jumped nearly 430% since 2019, a staggering increase. DEA laboratory testing further reveals that today, two out of every five pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose."
Counterfeit pills are particularly made to look like oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam like Xanax or amphetamines like Adderall. They are sold mostly online and on social media.
"The only safe medications are ones that come from licensed and accredited medical professionals," the release said. "DEA warns that pills purchased outside of a licensed pharmacy are illegal, dangerous and potentially lethal."
