Beware of Online Pharmacy Extortion Scheme

The DEA is warning people who have purchased prescription drugs on the Internet that they may be a target of a fraudulent extortion scheme. Victims have been telephoned by criminals posing as DEA agents and demanding payment of a fine for purchasing prescriptions over the Internet. A wire transfer payment is demanded, and victims who are reluctant to pay have been threatened with arrest and property searches.

To avoid becoming a victim of this or other criminal schemes, ensure that any prescriptions you purchase online are from pharmacies that are registered with the DEA. Ordering from unknown entities put you at risk of receiving unsafe or counterfeit drugs, and at risk of compromising your personal information.

Dangerous New Drug Made from OTC Ingredients

We sounded the warning over a year ago that abuse of prescription painkillers would lead to an uptick in heroin addiction and unhappily, our predictions are coming through. Opiate addicts are turning to cheap Mexican heroin when they can no longer afford the prescription drugs. Seasoned drug enforcement officers predict that prices will slowly climb for the heroin. What will users do then?

The DEA is concerned that we might see the trend that has been horrifying Russians, just as they thought they had stemmed the tide of heroin from Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. Deprived of their drug of choice, heroin addicts are turning to a vile, but inexpensive, recipe of over-the-counter drugs and household chemicals called Krokodil. The street name for this morphine-analog comes from the common side effect of scaly green skin as the user's body rots from the inside out. Click below to see a disturbing video about how Krokodil has been destroying lives in Siberia. Let's not let it happen in Indian Country!

Upcoming Training Opportunity: Drugs of Abuse

Learn to recognize the signs of methamphetamine use, prescription drug and over the counter drug abuse, synthetic drug use or heroin use in tribal housing. In addition to identification, participants will learn effective abatement strategies.

Click on the link to learn more about our upcoming training in Scottsdale, AZ. This two day, interactive program is free for Indian Tribe or Tribal Housing Authority employees. Any other participants can register for $50. Click here to register online.

Rx Drug Take Back Day Nets 244 Tons

Americans turned in 488,395 pounds of prescription and over the counter drugs on Saturday to DEA agents nationwide. Removing these prescription medications from circulation cuts down on the potential for abuse and its catastrophic consequences.  All together, the Take Back events have collected over 1018 tons of prescription pills. We're making progress!

Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Saturday, September 29

Coming To A Site Near You

The best way not to become a party to prescription drug abuse is to avoid having drugs in the house that are unused or expired. Prescription and over the counter drugs should never be flushed or put down the drain, to avoid contaminating the water supply. Instead, they must be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.

To make disposing of unused drugs easier, the DEA will be accepting any pills or liquids you have lying around your house, between 10 am and 2 pm on Monday, September 29. To find the nearest collection site, go to the DEA website to search by your zip code. You can also call 1-800-882-9539 for more information about the program.

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day April 28

Unused prescription drugs can be a danger to everyone in your home, but it can be difficult to dispose of drugs without harming the environment. The DEA is hosting another National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day all across the nation on April 28. At the last event in November, the DEA collected nearly 200 tons of expired or unused drugs. If you're a law enforcement department interested in hosting an event, call the DEA point of contact for your area. The DEA has downloadable posters and other materials to help you host an event.


If you would like to turn in unneeded, unused or expired drugs, call 1-800-882-9539 to find the take-back site closest to you.