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The seizure of more than 660,000 counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine has led to charges against one man, federal authorities in Rhode Island announced Monday.
Dylan Rodas, 27, has agreed to plead guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in connection with the seizure earlier this year of the fake pills with a street value estimated at about $4.6 million, U.S. attorney for Rhode Island Zachary Cunha said at a news conference.
It is believed to be the largest seizure of methamphetamine-laced fake Adderall pills in the U.S., as well as among the largest seizures of methamphetamine in DEA New England Field Division history, he said.
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"The quantity of methamphetamine represented by this seizure — methamphetamine that was packaged, prepped and ready to flow out onto the street to devastating effect on our communities — is staggering," Cunha said.
Adderall is a prescription medication used primarily to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The drugs were seized during two court-authorized searches in Cumberland in March, he said.
Rhode Island federal agents believe the methamphetamine contained in the 660,000 counterfeit Adderall pills originated in Mexico.
Authorities also found a bucket containing 40 pounds of meth mixture prepped and ready to be pressed into pill form, two pill presses that can manufacture about 5,000 pills per hour each, $15,000 cash and multiple handguns, including two ghost guns and two that had the serial numbers obliterated, he said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Officials believe the methamphetamine originated in Mexico, according to Brian Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New England office.
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"With the potency of these fake pills, it only takes one pill to ruin your life," he said.
Under a plea agreement, authorities are seeking a 10-year prison sentence for Rodas.
His attorney, John Calcagni III, said in an email that he had no immediate comment.
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The meth epidemic has not hit New England as hard as some other parts of the country, Cunha said, but law enforcement needs to remain vigilant.
"The prosecution we announced today, which involves the seizure of what I can only term industrial-scale quantities of meth, is a stark reminder that we cannot be complacent, we cannot treat meth as a problem that happens elsewhere," he said.
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