MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas — Some alarming numbers are coming out of Montgomery County in regard to drug overdose deaths.
The coroner said the county has seen a 271% increase in fentanyl overdoses since 2019.
"One pill can kill."
That's the message they want to get out there. Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Judge Wayne Mack also serves as the county's coroner. He said he's tired of telling families that their loved ones died due to overdose. He said fentanyl-laced drugs are causing the numbers to skyrocket. Mack brought up the issue during a community event with Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday.
"I see this way too often," Mack said.
The issue is personal to him.
"My brother-in-law died of an overdose," Mack said.
Montgomery County isn't alone when it comes to the spike. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths across the country.
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United States Drug Enforcement Administration agents said there's an uptick due to the cheap cost of making the drugs as well as cartels moving it into America.
"There is an uptick in production by Mexican cartels ... two specific cartels: the Jalisco Nueva generacion and the Sinaloa cartel," Miguel Madrigal said.
Madrigal is a special agent with the DEA in Houston. He said that people might think they're buying other drugs, like Xanax or Adderall, but it's actually a fake pill laced with the deadly narcotic fentanyl. He said that when you put the pills next to each other, you can't tell the difference.
"Top one is the real one bottom one is the fake one," Madrigal said while showing a picture of the pills. "Clandestine labs in Mexico are producing these pills in massive amounts. So, there's no quality control, there's no chemist. It's just people producing as many pills as they can."
The potency can kill and Madrigal said once they make it to the United States, they're easy to buy.
"Social media platforms ... you could also get them through there easily. They've gotten to a point where they use emojis to order pills," Madrigal said.
The DEA said the problem has become a priority to them. Their best advice is to talk to your children and others who might have drug problems. They said to never take a pill from anyone. They also said new fentanyl-laced drugs can look like candy.