Los Cabos Ensuring Tourist Safety Through Pharmacy Crackdowns

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Last Updated 10 months ago

Los Cabos authorities are continuing to work with federal government officials from both the United States and Mexico to ensure the safety of tourists purchasing products from the retail pharmacies in Los Cabos.

LA Times Article Leads To Inspections

The issue came to light earlier this year when the Los Angeles Times wrote an investigative article about a number of illegal practices occurring in Los Cabos.

Some of these practices included the sale of cut pills and controlled substances.

The initial review of the pharmacies in Los Cabos did not find any retail locations selling controlled substances.

However, a number were found pill cutting, and others were cited for keeping poor required documentation of medicines dispensed. One pharmacy was closed for a short period of time after the local inspections.

Officials warned local pharmacies that ongoing inspections would continue, especially because the issue had escalated past the local and state authorities and now involved the governments of both the United States and Mexico.

One of these follow-up inspections took place last week in Los Cabos, and the results are alarming.

Recent Inspections

This time, the local authorities did find connections between the pharmacies in Los Cabos and the distribution of controlled substances.

The Los Cabos municipal police received reports from customers of three pharmacy locations in Los Cabos selling controlled medicines.

They conducted a surprise inspection of the facilities with a district judge-issued court order and immediately seized boxes and other materials related to the illegal sale of the controlled substances.

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What Was Found?

Inspectors found that the three pharmacy locations had pills, tablets, empty plastic containers, lid seals, and a white folder related to the sale of the controlled substances.

An employee of one of the pharmacies was also arrested during the surprise inspection.

All of the material, as well as the prosecution of the charged employee, was turned over to the Attorney General of the Mexican Republic for further prosecution.

What it Means For Tourists

The ongoing investigations should make tourists feel that the local, state, and federal governments are indeed taking this issue very seriously and are ready to implement investigations if controlled substances are being sold without permission.

However, the fact that the issue is continuing is not a good sign.

The first inspections did not turn up any pharmacies in Los Cabos selling any controlled substances. The local, state and federal governments were quick to tout this information to help tourists feel safe about visiting Los Cabos.

Subsequent investigations last week contradicting the results of the first inspections are troubling.

What Travelers Should Do

Pharmacies are generally the first stop for basic medical conditions around the world. Licensed pharmacies in Los Cabos are used for everything from migraine headaches to upset stomachs.

In Mexico, it is common for tourists from the United States to visit pharmacies to get lower-cost medication needed for chronic diseases.

Typically, those medications are cheaper in Mexico than even paying the co-pay for insurance-covered medication in the United States.

However, for the time being, it is probably better for tourists to avoid using pharmacies in Los Cabos unless there is a need for a basic medical remedy or an over-the-counter common item such as toothpaste, etc.