SEATTLE – The DEA is issuing its first Public Safety Alert in six years amid what it calls an alarming increase in fake prescription pills.

The alert says the country is seeing an increase in lethality and availability of fake drugs, which contain fentanyl and methamphetamine.

The DEA Seattle Field Division said its area, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska, has seen a 275 percent increase in seizures where these pills were found since last year.

Twenty percent of said seizures ended up with firearms also being found, according to officials.

“The United States is facing an unprecedented crisis of overdose deaths fueled by illegally manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine,” said Anne Milgram, Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “Counterfeit pills that contain these dangerous and extremely addictive drugs are more lethal and more accessible than ever before. In fact, DEA lab analyses reveal that two out of every five fake pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose.”

Most of these pills are brought into the country after they are made in Mexico, while China is supplying chemicals for the manufacturing of fentanyl in Mexico.

Frank Kocar said he is still grieving the loss of his 23-year-old son, who died after suffering an overdose last February. He said his son took one pill before his death.

“He’s not coming back," Kocar said. "I don’t know how to phrase that."

Kocar said his son may not have even known the pill contained fentanyl, a powerful opioid that can be lethal even in small doses.

“I’ve talked to so many people to try to shed some light on this stuff,” Kocar said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 93,000 Americans died of an overdose last year. Officials say many of the victims consumed drugs that were laced with unknown ingredients.

“This is what’s causing a significant increase in overdose deaths," said Frank Tarentino, special agent in charge with the Seattle office of the DEA, adding that a record number of fake pills have been seized. "The primary driver behind this are these counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl. The young people are the most vulnerable."

Along with flooding the streets with drugs, Tarentino said many drug dealers have transitioned into the digital age, finding and targeting users on all of the major social media platforms.

“And it’s all cryptic," he said. "They’re using very specific emojis to communicate with their clientele."

Officials said the drugs are flowing from a sophisticated Mexican drug cartel network

“There’s no quality control coming out of Mexico,” Tarentino said.

While the DEA and other local law enforcement agencies are making busts and taking these drugs off the streets, he says it’s still not enough.

“People are really gambling with their lives when they take these pills,” Tarentino said, adding that his agency has launched its nationwide “One Pill Can Kill” public awareness campaign to warn the community about the dangers posed by the pills. “ Specifically, our parents, our teachers, our community leaders.”

Kocar is also telling others, especially parents, to get more involved.

“Be aware," he said. "Be aware of what your kids are doing."