Counterfeit Prescription Pills Prompt Warning In SW RivCo

TEMECULA, CA — Mexican drug cartels are manufacturing mass quantities of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl, and they've made their way into Southwest Riverside County, the sheriff's department is warning.

"As of recent, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department has responded to an alarming number of overdose incidents involving counterfeit Percocet and Oxycodone pills," according to a special bulletin released by the Temecula Sheriff's Station (see below).

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is lethal even in small doses. At least one person in Riverside County has died from the counterfeit pills, according to the bulletin.

The Temecula Sheriff's Station stated it has seen multiple overdoses in the Temecula Valley.

Anyone with information about the sale of the counterfeit pills is asked to contact the sheriff's department at 800-950-2444 or submit an online tip at www.riversidesheriff.org/drugtips