The Drug Enforcement Administration seized approximately 151,500 fake fentanyl pills in Nebraska during the first six months of 2022. That marks and 83% increase from the 82,775 pills seized in all of 2021.
The DEA – Omaha Division seized approximately 32,000 fake pills in Omaha, some laced with lethal doses of fentanyl in a two day period staring July 8th.
“Fake pills, designed to look like legitimate prescription medications, are readily available on the streets of Nebraska,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Justin C. King said. “No city or town, be it rural or urban, big or small, is immune to this substance. We want people to be aware of the dangers of taking these pills and other substances of unknown origin.”
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 time stronger than morphine. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, equivalent in size to 10 to 20 grains of salt, is considered a potentially lethal dose.
DEA lab testing shows that four out of every 10 pills with fentanyl contain a possible lethal dose. They are often designed to look like prescription opioids that include oxycodone that is Oxycontin or Percocet, hydrocodone, also known as Vicodin, and alprazolam, known as Adderall.
In Nebraska, fake pills can sell for as low as $3 to $5 a pill. This makes the recent 32,000 pills located in Omaha worth an estimated $96,000 to $160,000. The CDC reports the leading cause of death for Americans age 15 to 44 is drug overdose. They estimate that more than 107,000 people died as a result of a drug overdose during the first 12 month period ending January, 2022 in the U.S. Sixty-seven percent of those deaths involved a synthetic opioid.
“Cartels are producing fake pills in mass quantity and social media continues to play a significant role in the upward trend of these potentially lethal drugs,” King said. They’re easy to purchase and easy to conceal. We need everyone to understand that taking just one fake pill can have deadly consequences.”
The DEA launched its One Pill Can Kill campaign in the fall of 2021 as a way to make people aware of the dangers of fake pills. For more information on the campaign, or to download additional photos of fake pills, please visit www.DEA.gov/OnePill.