The Drug Enforcement Administration is warning that Mexican drug cartels are manufacturing large quantities of counterfeit prescription pills containing the deadly opioid fentanyl.
The DEA said Monday the pills have been showing up on Long Island and New York City, as well as other parts of the country.
In the news released, the DEA found that 27 percent of a sampling of pills seized nationwide between January and March contained potentially lethal doses of the drug.
"A lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be about two milligrams, but can vary based on an individual’s body size, tolerance, amount of previous usage and other factors," the DEA said.
Ray Donovan, the DEA's special agent in charge of the New York division, says counterfeit pills cause one in four users to die.
