Hageman reintroduces the Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act

CHEYENNE (WNE) — U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., and U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., have reintroduced the Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act, legislation designed to help law enforcement crack down on the production of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl.

This legislation is both bipartisan and bicameral, a news release from Hageman’s office said.

If passed into law, the Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act would amend the Controlled Substances Act to add a serialization requirement for pill presses and punches. It would prohibit the removal or alteration of these serial numbers and prohibit the distribution of machines with tampered serial numbers.

“Fentanyl continues to devastate communities across America,” Hageman said in the release. “Cartels are using pill presses to disguise deadly fentanyl as legitimate prescription drugs. This bill gives law enforcement stronger tools to trace this equipment and hold traffickers accountable. It is a commonsense solution to protect our families and stop these poisonous pills at their source.”

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin, is increasingly found in counterfeit pills made to look like legitimate medications such as OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin. According to the DEA, 7 out of 10 seized fake pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. In 2024 alone, the DEA seized more than 61.1 million fake pills.

Criminal organizations use pill presses, along with dies and punches, to create pills nearly identical to legitimate pharmaceuticals. While these machines have lawful uses in pharmaceutical manufacturing, they have been co-opted by drug traffickers to mass-produce deadly counterfeit drugs, the release said.

This story was published on Nov. 5, 2025.