TUSCALOOSA, Ala (WIAT) – The Drug Enforcement Agency, Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control is warning consumers about the risks of online prescription medicine being laced with fentanyl, and other chemicals.
“We’ve found this is the biggest threat to every single American community all across our nation,” DEA Special Agent Steven Hofer said.
Throughout the investigations and operations led by the DEA in 2023, more than 80 million fake pills were seized across the country, Hofer said.
“7 out of 10, or 70% of them, had potentially lethal doses of fentanyl inside of them,” Hofter said.
DEA investigations also found that many counterfeit pills are made in Mexico, and then smuggled into the United States.
“There are two Mexican cartels that are responsible for a majority of these pills – fake pills,” Hofer said.
The DEA found the Jalisco New Generation and the Sinaloa cartel are big players in the counterfeit drug making ring. The cartels make the drugs into pill form, or they’re left as a powder before crossing the U.S. – Mexico Border. If the fake pharmaceuticals make it passed border control, Hofer said the pills are shipped throughout the U.S. and then undergo a pill press.
“They are able to produce as many of these pills as the amount of precursor chemicals they can buy,” Hofer said.
Once these fake pharmaceutical pills can pass for the authentic prescription drug – they’re advertised and sold online.
“People are only concerned about the costs, the price, the bottom line. Well, if you bypass the safeguards that are in place, well, then you get what you paid for,” Tuscaloosa Pharmacist Brian Sweatt said.
Counterfeit prescription pills typically cost less than what one would pay at their local pharmacy, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Sweatt said, while people are saving money – there’s big benefits to getting prescriptions filled in person rather that online – even if the provider is a legitimate and legal company.
“People know who you are, they’re familiar with your background, they know what you take, they’re familiar with your history and obviously you don’t get that online,” Sweatt said.
If someone with current medical conditions such as high blood pressure, or is already taking medication prescribed by their doctor, Sweatt said pharmacists can help educate them on the risks, and alternatives that are more effective and appropriate for their current health situation.
However, if you order online – “When you have a question, there’s no one to ask,” Sweatt said.
If you’re buying prescriptions online, the FDA offers these tips:
- Make sure the site requires a prescription and has a pharmacist available for questions.
- Buy only from licensed pharmacies located in the United States. BeSafeRx: Know Your Online Pharmacy has more information about finding safe and legal online pharmacies.
- Don't provide personal information such as credit card numbers unless you are sure the site will protect them.
DEA lab tests indicate 5 out 10 pills in 2024 contain a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl. 2mg is considered lethal, Hofer said.
Hydrocodone and Xanax are the most common drugs bought online laced with Fentanyl. However it’s not limited to those two narcotics, and there are other drugs being sold online trying to pass as the real deal.
The FDA found “counterfeit Ozempic (semaglutide) injection 1 milligram (mg) in the legitimate U.S. drug supply chain,” according to the agency’s website.
“We’re seeing more and more patients have complaints with these medications that they’re receiving that they think are safe and effective but actually aren’t,” DCH Emergency Room Pharmacist Megan Heath said.
Doctors and nurses at DCH in Tuscaloosa have seen more patients who purchased Ozempic or controlled substances “on the street or online” coming into the emergency room with infections and other health complications.
“You absolutely cannot buy a legitimate prescription pill anywhere online or social media,” Hofer said.