New Documentary Shows How Mexican Pharmacies Sell Deadly Pills to Tourists
“We can sell you 10,000 pills”
You may have seen reports last year that Mexican pharmacies were selling adulterated pharmaceutical pills to tourists.
A new documentary called Poison Pills investigates this phenomenon, taking hidden cameras inside these operations and confirming our worst fears; that licensed pharmacies are selling oxycodone that’s actually fentanyl, and Adderall that’s actually meth.
These aren’t sketchy drug dealers on corners, these are legitimate Mexican pharmacies peddling poison to American spring breakers looking to party and grandparents looking for cheaper meds. The cartels are almost certainly involved.
The documentary footage is riveting. The project is led by Adam Auctor, the founder of drug-checking company Bunk Police, which will soon be known as Transparency. (More on that next week.) With a partner, Auctor crisscrossed the country to cities including Tijuana, Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Tulum, Cancun, and Cozumel, where he investigated pharmacies undercover.
He encountered all sorts of craziness, including a pharmacist offering to sell him tens of thousands of pills to smuggle into the U.S., and advice from another pharmacist on how to microwave and snort veterinary ketamine. Auctor even got a death threat.
I was interviewed for the documentary, and also served as its lead story editor. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s a wake-up call for anyone looking to buy cheap pills, whether for recreational or health purposes, and shows how Mexican cartels have even further tightened their grip on the country’s drug supply.