All articles tagged with #counterfeit pills
Five individuals have been arrested in connection with a criminal network responsible for distributing counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills that led to the deaths of Robert De Niro's grandson and others in New York City, including three 19-year-olds, with additional charges against Sofia Marks for her role in the overdose deaths.
eBay will pay $59 million to settle a lawsuit with the Justice Department over allegations that it facilitated the sale of pill press machines used to manufacture counterfeit prescription medications. The company has also agreed to tighten regulations and compliance moving forward, including reporting sales of pill press machines and accessories to the DEA. The illegal use of these machines contributes to the production of counterfeit pills, often containing dangerous substances like fentanyl, which has led to a significant number of overdose deaths in the US.
A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine reveals that a record number of high school teens died of drug overdoses in 2022, primarily due to fentanyl poisonings from counterfeit pills. The death rate for drug overdoses among teens has more than doubled since 2018, with at least 75% of adolescent drug overdose deaths attributed to fentanyl poisonings. The trend has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Arizona, Colorado, and Washington identified as hotspot states. Experts recommend discussing the dangers of counterfeit pills with teens and keeping overdose reversal medicine readily available at home, while also emphasizing frank conversations about risk reduction strategies for those experimenting with drugs.
A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine reveals that a record number of high school teens died of drug overdoses in 2022, primarily due to fentanyl poisonings from counterfeit pills. The death rate for drug overdoses among teens has more than doubled since 2018, with at least 75% of adolescent drug overdose deaths attributed to fentanyl poisonings. Experts recommend that parents discuss the dangers of counterfeit pills with their teens and keep overdose reversal medicine readily available at home, while also emphasizing the importance of staying drug-free and having frank conversations about risk reduction strategies for those experimenting with drugs.
Counterfeit pills are increasingly contributing to overdose deaths in the United States, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report reveals that overdose deaths involving evidence of counterfeit pill use more than doubled between the second half of 2019 and the end of 2021. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl was found to be involved in nearly all overdose deaths related to counterfeit pills, with methamphetamine, cocaine, and benzodiazepines also detected in some cases. The majority of counterfeit pills were made to resemble oxycodone, and the DEA has stated that most of these pills are produced in Mexico. Overdose deaths involving counterfeit pills were most common in Western states and disproportionately affected Hispanic individuals and those under the age of 35. Experts recommend using only prescribed pharmaceutical pills obtained from legitimate sources and utilizing harm reduction measures such as fentanyl test strips and naloxone.
Jason Curtis Caldwell has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for running a multi-drug distribution operation out of his car shop in Houston. Caldwell pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and was found to have sold kilogram amounts of meth and counterfeit opiate pills containing fentanyl. He supplied meth to another individual who distributed counterfeit opiate pills containing meth, and also sold counterfeit pills to two other individuals. Caldwell was released on bond after his initial arrest but has now been taken into custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.