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Machines being used to produce fake pills were seized by the US Customs and Border Protection. Counterfeit pills continually increase in production, causing hundreds of deaths per year in the United States alone.

Oxycodone or Xanax are two of the widely produced counterfeit pills, as reported by the CNN. Oxycodone, made by low-quality chemicals such as fentanyl, can be deadly.

"To the naked eye, you can't tell the difference," John Martin, special agent in charge of the DEA's San Francisco division stated during an interview. "If you have counterfeit pills, you can't make them without pill presses. People have died from ingesting what they think is a legitimate painkiller, (but really) it's a counterfeit pill that contains fentanyl."

It was mentioned that these pill presses can be easily acquired online. John Martin added that the availability of these machines triggers people to experiment and come up with dangerous drugs.

Fentanyl is one of the most toxic ingredients of pills that were produced by the black market. The machines, on the other hand, are easily available due to high demands for various investors in the United States alone.

In 2015, it was reported that the Customs worked hand-in-hand with the DEA as they were on a mission to capture the people behind the illegal pill presses. The authorities were able to capture 32-year-old Gary Resnik as they retrieved six pill presses and 30 pounds of acetyl fentanyl.

China is said to be one of the biggest suppliers of fentanyl, a chemical known to be more powerful than morphine. A kilogram of fentanyl from China can roughly cost around $2,000, according to a report from the Daily Caller.

DEA administrator, Chuck Rosenberg, already went to China in January to sort out the illegal fentanyl production that enters the US. After Rosenberg's visit, China has already banned six variety of synthetic fentanyl.