La Paz buying Ecstasy

__________________________

📍 Verified store!

📍 Guarantees! Quality! Reviews!

__________________________

▼▼ ▼▼ ▼▼ ▼▼ ▼▼ ▼▼ ▼▼

▲▲ ▲▲ ▲▲ ▲▲ ▲▲ ▲▲ ▲▲

La Paz buying Ecstasy

That pretense faded seconds later, when she was asked for controlled medications — and got on her hands and knees to pop open a hidden panel under the counter. She rooted around for a minute and emerged with two sealed bottles. In pharmacy after pharmacy in this Mexican resort city, workers offered similar assurances, but time and again the pills proved to be fakes. There were oxycodone pills that tested positive for heroin and over-the-counter cough medicine, and Vicodin tablets that turned out to be fentanyl. Pills sold as Adderall were sometimes methamphetamine or caffeine, and sometimes simply an appetite suppressant. Others denied ever selling medications they had in fact sold just minutes or hours earlier. Last month, reporters visited dozens of drugstores in Mexico to interview pharmacy workers and piece together a fuller picture of the counterfeit medication problem The Times has been investigating for nearly a year. Despite pharmacy raids by Mexican authorities and a warning from the U. State Department, the latest round of testing found that fake medications appear even more plentiful at independent drugstores and regional chains in tourist hot spots and border towns now than earlier this year. Some of the counterfeits are now more sophisticated, and lab testing found a wider array of substances in them than previously documented. And the latest reporting in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas found that workers at small chains and individual pharmacies alike often went to great lengths to convince potential customers of the safety and efficacy of their counterfeit wares. The Times is not naming independent pharmacies or workers due to safety concerns, including the threat of violence. After visiting 10 vacation spots and border towns across Mexico this year, reporters used drug-testing strips and later lab testingto show that travelers who shop at pharmacies there risk unwittingly buying pills tainted with powerful drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, meth and MDMA — also known as ecstasy. In February, The Times reported that some drugstores in Tijuana and the Los Cabos area were selling loose pills over the counter, passing off tablets containing fentanyl and meth as expensive brand-name medications, including Percocet and Adderall. A team of UCLA researchers, including Goodman-Meza, reported similar findings in four unnamed cities in northwestern Mexico around the same time. But U. Later, reporters showed that several stores and at least a few regional chains had begun selling tainted medications by the bottle, in elaborate packaging that was sometimes indistinguishable from the real thing. A few medications were consistently legitimate, including the opioid painkiller tramadol and the ADHD pill methylphenidate, best known as Ritalin. But some medications were almost always counterfeit. Testing showed that 9 in 10 pills sold as Adderall, six in 10 pills sold as oxycodone, and 7 in 10 pills sold as hydrocodone were fake. Overall, 26 samples contained methamphetamine and 29 contained fentanyl. In March, authorities in Mexico inspected more than pharmacies in Los Cabos and nearby La Paz, closing nine in Los Cabos for a variety of violations. In June, another series of pharmacy raids in Los Cabos resulted in four arrests and the seizure of cash and nearly 25, pills. But less than 24 hours earlier, the same store had sold three loose pills — purported to be Percocet, Vicodin and Adderall — and one bottle labeled as Adderall. Laboratory testing showed both painkillers were fentanyl, the tablet sold as Adderall was methamphetamine, and the bottle of supposed Adderall contained capsules of an appetite suppressant called clobenzorex. Finally, authorities shut down 31 pharmacies and seized more than 4, boxes of medication during recent raids in Ensenada, where officials said some of the pills probably contained fentanyl. At a Puerto Vallarta pharmacy near bustling Playa de los Muertos last month, a clerk said she had no controlled substances for sale before offering a warning. Others said they stopped offering controlled medications immediately after the sweeps, but soon resumed sales. The Times could not independently verify their claims, and officials did not respond to requests for comment. There were no opioid painkillers in stock, but reporters bought a bottle of supposed Adderall. Aside from the glut of willing sellers and suppliers, another roadblock to reining in the sale of counterfeit pills in Mexico is the constant demand — often from Americans looking for medications that may be cheaper or easier to get than in the U. He had recently been prescribed Adderall in the U. Shopping for narcotic medications in pharmacies in Mexico often means listening to workers explain that bottles stashed in hidden compartments and loose pills kept in unlabeled plastic bags contain legitimate medications. But the painkillers purchased from that pharmacy tested positive for fentanyl, and the supposed ADHD medications were made of methamphetamine. At a Puerto Vallarta outpost of a drugstore chain that sold reporters fake medications, Ed Sheeran was crooning through tinny speakers about having faith in what he sees. The clerk claimed the pharmacy did not stock counterfeit pills. On two separate trips to Puerto Vallarta, reporters visited several stores in that same regional chain, and repeatedly purchased pills sold as Adderall that tested positive for methamphetamine. Another was a bottle that a young worker pulled from a locked hiding spot. In addition to concealing illicit wares and offering empty assurances about safety, pharmacy workers seemed choosy about their customers. Several residents said the stores would sell narcotic medications over the counter only to foreign tourists. At one drugstore, when a reporter started speaking Spanish, the clerk grew suspicious. At a Puerto Vallarta location of the prominent national chain Farmacias Similares, a worker said only customers with prescriptions could buy controlled medications. Other pharmacies, she said, would sell them without a prescription — depending on who you are. Only to foreigners. Organized crime experts say that Mexican drug cartels are almost certainly involved in making the sophisticated counterfeit medications. But it is unclear exactly how the pills end up on pharmacy shelves or in hidden compartments behind the counter. Workers at other stores suggested their pills came from California, but also could not name a supplier. Most did not respond to repeated messages inquiring about the counterfeit goods or the suppliers who provided them. One worker who did respond said he knew the Cabo pharmacy where he worked did not sell opioid painkillers because he was one of only two people who worked there. When a reporter explained that the store had sold fentanyl-tainted pills weeks earlier, his tone shifted. Instead of denial, some responded with fear. Watch L. Times Today at 7 p. Before joining the Los Angeles Times in , she spent nearly seven years in Texas, first covering criminal justice for the Houston Chronicle and then covering prisons for the Marshall Project. Previously, she wrote narrative pieces with a strong emphasis on the Latino community and others that make up the diversity of L. She joined The Times in Connor Sheets is an investigative and enterprise reporter at the Los Angeles Times. De Los. Times Everywhere. For Subscribers. All Sections. About Us. B2B Publishing. Hot Property. Times Events. Times Store. Special Supplements. Share via Close extra sharing options. Many pharmacies in Puerto Vallarta and other tourist-friendly parts of Mexico continue to sell fake medications to unsuspecting foreigners. Reporters visited 10 vacation spots and border towns across Mexico this year and bought controlled prescription medications from pharmacies. Tests showed many pills were tainted with powerful drugs including fentanyl, heroin, meth and MDMA. Many pills purchased by reporters in Mexico this year were lab-tested to confirm the initial findings from testing strips. A pharmacy in Cabo San Lucas advertises its wares to English-speaking visitors. Many also sell controlled medications — or counterfeit versions of them — upon request. In Puerto Vallarta, several pharmacies were raided by Mexican authorities in recent months, drugstore employees say. Officials would not elaborate on or confirm their accounts. A Mexican pharmacy offers a wide array of powerful medications over the counter. Earlier in , drugstores in Mexico tended to sell counterfeits of controlled medications as loose pills — but the fakes are increasingly sold by the bottle in convincing packaging. VIDEO More to Read. Chinese chemical manufacturer is targeted by federal prosecutors trying to stop flow of fentanyl. Old newspaper boxes are being used to distribute the overdose reversal drug naxolone. An industrial chemical is showing up in fentanyl in the U. Keri Blakinger. Brittny Mejia. Connor Sheets. More From the Los Angeles Times. Defense chief promises Ukraine what it needs to fight Russia but goes no further.

Hidden panels, counterfeit bottles, fentanyl: A year of buying drugs in Mexican pharmacies

La Paz buying Ecstasy

Baja California Sur BCS , a Mexican state renowned for its tourist destinations, scenic beauty and recreational activities, is a transit route for drug traffickers moving cannabis and methamphetamines from the south to the north. She has been traveling to the quiet fishing village of Los Barriles since she was a child, but in began to notice a shift as the effects of the drug trade began to creep in. Mayor Olachea had a personal stake in the battle against drugs after losing her brother to crystal meth. The mayor then introduced the program to regional government officials, including the Executive Director of the Safe School Program of the State Department of Education. The initial delivery proved such a success that the State Secretary of Public Education wanted in. After reviewing the curriculum, it was determined that this program was needed in all secondary schools. So the first training was given to 50 principals from the five BCS municipalities, followed by the training of more than teachers. To fully solidify the delivery, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Education Secretary of Baja California Sur and the Foundation for a Drug-Free World in what amounts to the largest-ever government adoption of the program. Every year we take action on United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking—a day designated to raise awareness of the dangers of illicit drugs. We call on all volunteers and supporters to join us in such activities. This involves planning distribution and pledge-signing events in busy locations, having stores take them for their customers, delivering seminars to students and anything else to get The Truth About Drugs into the hands of people in your city. You can download the pledge at www. Send us videos and photos of your DFW activities. The top ten best will receive our signature teal DFW T-shirt for their group members. Support the Foundation for a Drug-Free World and help protect our youth and the future from the destructive effects of drugs. Your contributions enable us to make our educational materials available free of charge to schools, youth organizations and other groups and individuals. Your support helps empower people with the facts they need to live healthy, drug-free lives. Sign up for news and updates from the foundation! Connect with us! The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a nonprofit, international drug education program proudly sponsored by the Church of Scientology and Scientologists all over the world. To learn more, click here. Who We Are About the Foundation. Videos Introduction Voices for Humanity. Free Courses. News Newsletter. Home Newsletter. Join us in distributing The Truth About Drugs booklets in shops in your neighborhood or city. Thank you for subscribing. Contact Us. Start Free E-Courses. Take the Quiz. Download Booklets. Law Enforcement. Sign the Drug-Free Pledge. Start an Online Class. Join a Team. Order Bulk Materials. Choose a Language.

La Paz buying Ecstasy