In a quiet Connecticut suburb, a rented garage became the hub of a massive counterfeit pill operation, now under federal investigation.

Authorities accuse Kelldon Hinton, 45, of producing hundreds of thousands of fake pills laced with methamphetamine, synthetic opioids, and other dangerous substances.

According to new federal indictments, Hinton’s operation spanned across the U.S., with pills distributed both online and on local streets.

Investigators claim Hinton, along with six Connecticut associates, ran one of the largest counterfeit pill networks ever uncovered in New England.

The group allegedly manufactured counterfeit versions of oxycodone, Xanax, and Adderall, mixing in potent drugs like protonitazene, a synthetic opioid three times stronger than fentanyl, and dimethylpentylone, a party drug often sold as ecstasy.

Hinton allegedly pressed the pills in a makeshift “lab” equipped with industrial machines capable of churning out 100,000 pills an hour.

From February 2023 to February 2024, over 1,300 packages were shipped through the U.S. postal system, authorities said, with some of the drugs sold on the dark web.

The operation came crashing down in September when federal agents raided Hinton’s East Haven garage, seizing hundreds of thousands of counterfeit pills.

Hinton and four others were arrested. Two additional suspects remain free pending trial.

“This case is a stark reminder of the relentless threat posed by synthetic opioids,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery, underscoring how fentanyl-laced pills continue to fuel America’s overdose crisis.

Last year alone, over 100,000 people died from overdoses, with fake prescription pills playing a critical role.

The arrests highlight the ongoing efforts of federal, state, and local authorities to combat the opioid epidemic.

Investigators began tracking Hinton after a tip in mid-2023, later launching a covert operation to intercept packages and make undercover buys from the dark web.

As the opioid crisis continues to devastate communities across the country, the DEA vowed to remain aggressive in dismantling trafficking networks.

The agency’s special agent in charge, Stephen Belleau, warned, “We’ll stop at nothing to put an end to those profiting off people’s lives.”

With over a million lives lost since 1999, America’s battle against synthetic opioids is far from over.

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