Since 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration and State Department have known that Mexican pharmacies are pushing over-the-counter pills containing fentanyl, according to a new report.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the federal agencies were notified by the family of Brennan Harrell, 29, who died of an overdose in 2019 after buying pills in a drug store in Cabo San Lucas.
“This case could have been a canary in the coal mine and could have prevented more deaths that have surely occurred since then,” said Chelsea Shover, a UCLA researcher investigating the sale of adulterated medicines in Mexico. Shover has led a study showing counterfeit medicines are being sold in Mexico.
“We knew when we detected counterfeits that there would be people who died, but it’s deeply concerning that there was compelling evidence of this a few years ago, and yet there wasn’t any kind of public information campaign about it,” Shover said.
Officials at the U.S. DEA and State Department have known for more than three years that some pharmacies in Mexico are selling counterfeit medications laced with illicit fentanyl — and that American tourists are overdosing and dying from them.https://t.co/9UEaPUQ7Cj
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) March 14, 2023
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The LA Times reported that the DEA and State Department did not answer questions about the incident.
According to Patients Beyond Borders, Americans using foreign sources save up to 70 percent on dental, cosmetic, and weight loss procedures, according to Fox News.
Mary Harrell, Brennan’s mother, told the LA Times that the family arranged for toxicology tests in the U.S. after the Mexican autopsy ruled he died of a heart attack and an obstructed airway. Toxicology showed he died of a drug overdose and had a high level of fentanyl.
Dr. Christopher Young, Ventura County’s chief medical examiner who did the test, said he contacted the DEA.
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“I remember explaining this case and emphasizing that this wasn’t one from my county,…
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