DEA seized enough fentanyl doses to kill every American in 2022
The Drug Enforcement Administration revealed Tuesday it seized more than 379 million deadly doses of fentanyl in 2022 — more than enough to kill every single American.
According to a statement from the federal agency, DEA agents confiscated more than 50.6 million fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills, which is more than double compared to last year, and over 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder since January.
The highly addictive synthetic opioid is 50 times stronger than heroin. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl — an amount that fits on the tip of a pencil — is considered a potentially deadly dose.
“These seizures — enough deadly doses of fentanyl to kill every American — reflect DEA’s unwavering commitment to protect Americans and save lives, by tenaciously pursuing those responsible for the trafficking of fentanyl across the United States,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.
Milgram added that DEA’s “top priority” is to defeat two Mexican drug cartels — Sinaloa and Jalisco — that she said are primarily responsible for the deadly fentanyl flowing into the US.
According to the DEA, most of the man-made opioid trafficked by the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels is being mass-produced at secret factories in Mexico with chemicals sourced largely from China.
In 2021, the DEA issued a warning about fake fentanyl-laced pills made to look identical to real prescription medications, including OxyContin, Percocet and Xanax.
Just last month, DEA alerted the public to a sharp nationwide increase in the lethality of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills.
DEA laboratory testing earlier this year revealed that six out of 10 bogus pills contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.
Last October, US Customs and Border Protection seized more than 1,825 pounds of fentanyl at ports of entry along the southern border.
In the course of a single week in mid-December, CBP agents confiscated more than 25 pounds of the deadly opioid in several locations in Texas.
