Talking About Colombia

Mexico’s “pharma cartels” are selling illicitly obtained prescription drugs to buyers in the U.S.

The “pharma cartels,” many which are based over the border from California in Tijuana, use the Internet to sell painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin to American clients, who pay using Western Union.

One pill can cost $80 dollars, and a “pharma cartel” can make about $700,000 dollars per month.

Some “pharma-cartels” create their own versions of painkillers in makeshift laboratories.

Prescription pill abuse is now the second most prevalent form of illicit drug use in the U.S. after marijuana.

In many major cities, more Americans die from drug overdoses than in car crashes – a trend that is driven by prescription painkillers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

One in six teens has used a prescription drug that was not prescribed for them in order to get high or change their mood. Prescription medicines are the most commonly abused drugs among 12 to 13-year-old children, according to Drugfree.org.