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DEA issues public safety alert about fake prescription drugs filled with fentanyl

Violent Crime Drug Crackdown
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The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning about a sharp increase in fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.

According to the DEA, they've confiscated more than 9.5 million counterfeit pills this year, which is more than the last two years combined.

The DEA also reported that they'd seen a dramatic rise in the number of counterfeit pills containing at least two milligrams of fentanyl.

The agency said that criminal drug networks produce counterfeit pills and pass them off as Oxycontin, Vicodin, Xanax, and Adderall.

The DEA said they are then sold on social media and e-commerce platforms.

The public safety alert comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 93,000 died last year of a drug overdose, the most ever recorded in a year.