Authorities in Mexico raided several Los Cabos drugstores last month and arrested four people as part of an ongoing investigation into pharmacies selling counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The flurry of law enforcement action in the peninsular municipality comes on the heels of a Los Angeles Times investigation that found pharmacies from Tulum to Tijuana were passing off powerful drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, as weaker medications commonly sought out by tourists. Of the 55 opioid painkillers and ADHD medications The Times tested over a four-month period, slightly more than half proved to be counterfeit.
Alejandro Torres Pineda, a delegate of the attorney general’s office in Baja California Sur, said Mexico’s investigation was sparked by local media coverage of the issue — coverage that was based on and extensively credited The Times’ reporting.
