US warns about fake, dangerous pills being sold in Mexico

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by Associated Press

March 18, 2023 | 10:13 PM

The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning about dangerous counterfeit pills being sold in Mexican pharmacies, which often contain fentanyl.

A travel alert posted Friday said Americans “should exercise caution when buying medicines in Mexico.”

Small pharmacies in tourist areas and border areas may sell drugs advertised as OxyContin, Percocet, Xanax, etc. without a prescription.

The State Department warns that such tablets are often counterfeit and “may contain lethal doses of fentanyl.”

“Counterfeit pills are easily promoted on social media and can be purchased from small non-chain pharmacies in Mexico along the border and in tourist areas,” the agency said.

A study led by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that 68% of 40 Mexican pharmacies visited in four cities in northern Mexico sold oxycodone, Xanax, or Adderall, and 27% of those pharmacies was selling counterfeit pills.

According to UCLA, the study, released in January, “found brick-and-mortar pharmacies in tourist areas of northern Mexico selling counterfeit drugs, including fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine.

These tablets are sold primarily to U.S. tourists and are often disguised as controlled substances such as oxycodone, percocet, and adderall. ”

“These counterfeit pills represent a serious overdose risk for purchasers who think they are getting a known amount of a weak drug,” said UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. Assistant Professor Chelsea Shover said.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the problem exists not only in border cities, but also in beach resorts such as Playa del Carmen and Tulum.

The State Department did not respond to a request for comment on whether Americans overdosed or died because of drug sales in Mexico.

A State Department spokesperson said in response to a request, “The U.S. State Department has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad. We are committed to helping U.S. citizens make informed travel decisions. We take very seriously our commitment to providing clear, timely and reliable information about every country in the world so that we can do so.”