Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association –
Because of fentanyl’s wide availability, low cost, and high potency, counterfeit pill manufacturers often choose it for use in their operations. Fentanyl can be purchased on the dark Web, usually from Chinese suppliers, for a few thousand dollars. With as little as one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of fentanyl powder, drug traffickers can produce hundreds of thousands of pills and generate large amounts of revenue. For example, if a drug trafficker purchases one kilogram of fentanyl and uses one milligram of fentanyl per pill, he or she could generate one million pills. According to the DEA, in U.S. markets, counterfeit pills containing fentanyl sell at prices between $10 and $20 per pill. Using these numbers, a drug trafficker could generate between $10 to $20 million in sales from one kilogram of fentanyl.
Tags: Fentanyl LAPPA Legislative Updates New Drug Trends Opioid Crisis Pill Press