DEA Has Seized Almost 1,000 Pounds of Fentanyl in 2022

~2 min read | Published on 2022-09-28, tagged DrugsSeized using 497 words.

Between May and September 2022, law enforcement agencies in the United States seized more than 10.2 million fentanyl pills and “980 pounds of fentanyl powder.”
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, the Drug Enforcement Administration and its law enforcement partners seized more than 10.2 million fentanyl pills and approximately 980 pounds of fentanyl powder between May 23 through September 8, 2022. Authorities believe they removed more than 36 million lethal doses from the drug supply during the operation.

Rainbow fentanyl—fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes | DEA



“Across the country, fentanyl is devastating families and communities, and we know that violent, criminal drug cartels bear responsibility for this crisis,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department, including the extraordinary professionals of the DEA, is working to disrupt and dismantle the operations of these cartels, remove deadly fentanyl from our communities, and save Americans’ lives.”

One Pill Can Kill



The seizures were part of the DEA’s One Pill Can Kill initiative. During the period, law enforcement officers investigated 390 cases, including 51 cases linked to overdoses. Two Mexican cartels, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) are responsible for most of the fentanyl in the United States. Of the 390 investigated cases, 31 are linked to either or both cartels. One hundred twenty-nine investigations are linked to social media platforms, including Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and TikTok. Additionally, police officers seized 338 weapons during the operation, including firearms and [em]hand grenades[/em].

Rainbow fentanyl in plastic bag | Multnomah County Sheriff



“Drug overdose deaths touch every Hoosier—our families, our friends, our children. These tragedies are overwhelmingly driven by trafficking of fentanyl and other deadly opioids,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Fentanyl is concealed in everything from fake pharmaceuticals to rainbow candy-colored pills, and even within other controlled substances. The cartels and drug traffickers push these poisonous chemicals into our communities with utter disregard for human life. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will work with our partners in the DEA and throughout federal, state, and local law enforcement, to reduce the supply of these deadly drugs and hold fentanyl traffickers accountable.”

A different picture of the same rainbow fentanyl | Multnomah County Sheriff



“Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this nation. In 2021, a record number of Americans – 107,622 – died from a drug poisoning or overdose. Sixty-six percent of those deaths can be attributed to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. According to the Indiana Department of Health, 2,554 Hoosiers died of drug overdoses in 2021 and over 70% of the deaths were caused by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Between January 1 and August 1, 2022, over 2,500 Hoosiers have been lost to drug overdoses, the vast majority from fentanyl and similar drugs.”


U.S. Attorney’s Office and Department of Justice Announce Results of Efforts to Reduce Fentanyl Supply and Prosecute Fentanyl Traffickers | www.justice.gov, archive.is, archive.org

Comments (11)


askljdf2022-09-29
243f62d0

> “Fentanyl is concealed in everything from fake pharmaceuticals to rainbow candy-colored pills, and even within other controlled substances. The cartels and drug traffickers push these poisonous chemicals into our communities with utter disregard for human life. I've heard the hysterical headlines and sensationalism recently spewed over the "rainbow colored fentanyl" and "rainbow candy-colored pills" but that is actually good from a safety perspective if the fentanyl M30's are not blue. It is easier to know the tablet is counterfeit this way, so this is a good thing. It is sad that fentanyl and nitazenes are a huge thing now. They will never go away now unless the drug war is ended and a sane system of regulated sales is instituted, perhaps similar to how alcoholic drinks are regulated. They will never go away because the profit margin is just simply too high. Heroin is out. Fentanyl + fent analogs and nitazenes are in. This will continue until the drug war ends. Facts.

fdhfd2022-09-29
5d92c220

People who drank alcohol during prohibition often died of menthanol overdose due to bad batches. Heroin (diacetylmorphine) used to be sold over the counter and there was no opioid overdose epidemic because people generally followed the instructions on the bottle and got pure substances from the apothacary.

vision2022-09-29
19d01230

> Drug Enforcement Administration and its law enforcement partners seized more than 10.2 million fentanyl pills and approximately 980 pounds of fentanyl powder between May 23 through September 8, 2022. Authorities believe they removed more than 36 million lethal doses from the drug supply during the operation. Not to downplay the massive amount of fentanyl out there that I wish was not, but these numbers are bogus because if they seize 1 lb of that "rainbow colored" powder, it is bound to be pressed into pills and is obviously not pure. They count that as 1 lb pure fentanyl. If they seize 1 lb of "fentanyl powder" it is usually going to already have been cut down to be roughly the strength of (also cut) street heroin, since it's being sold to street addicts. They also count that as 1 lb pure fent, but it's not. I've also seen reports where they say they seized 1 lb of fentanyl, but you read the article and it's 1 lb worth of fake M30 tablets, most of which will be cellulose & dye.

cell2022-09-29
13720410

...fake M30 tablets - most of which will be cellulose & dye.

DNL2022-09-29
49b56ea0

Good comment. > hysterical headlines and sensationalism recently spewed over the “rainbow colored fentanyl” and “rainbow candy-colored pills” Indeed. The DEA claims these rainbow pills are > "a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults" Headline-generator for sure. > a sane system of regulated sales is instituted Do we have an example of drug abuse or overdoses declining as a result of legislation? And what type of regulation are you talking about? > They also count that as 1 lb pure fent, but it’s not. Pretty classic. You have to wonder if they have accurate figures for their own purposes or stats. Obviously benefits them to have such wildly inaccurate numbers for PR, prosecutions, etc.

ayo2022-09-29
f8e32270

Ayo DEA say >Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage. DEA analysis has found counterfeit pills ranging from .02 to 5.1 milligrams (more than twice the lethal dose) of fentanyl per tablet. >- 42\% of pills tested for fentanyl contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl, considered a potentially lethal dose. >- Drug trafficking organizations typically distribute fentanyl by the kilogram. One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. and > approximately 980 pounds of fentanyl powder between May 23 through September 8, 2022. Authorities believe they removed more than 36 million lethal doses from the drug supply 36 million / 980 lbs = 36,735 lethal doses per lb according to this if 2mg = a "lethal dose", then 36735 lethal doses / 456g = 80.55 lethal doses per gram 80.55 x 2mg = 161.1 mg fentanyl per gram = 16.11\% pure fentanyl on average? If that's not the answer then I don't understand these numbers at all.

r5fwh32rd2022-10-03
aab1d4c0

It is China, kills the young population of a country and it can't survive.

r5fwh32rd2022-10-03
d9ebacc0

It is China, kills the young population of a country and it can't survive.

adjahniver2022-10-04
535246c0

Do you ever just get fucking sick of the total hyprocritical insanity the governments spew. Of course there used to be a higher proportion of people that believed them with out question. I think a significant proportion now assume they chat crap.....ie alcohol kills many and is a terrible harmful drug so is tobacco. Youll never stop an illegal substance if theres demand the more penaties the higher the risk, the more people attracted to the higher profits. 1000 pounds found.......so obviouslt they are not fit for purpose because at least 9000 pounds didnt get found. Thats alllllll without the fundemental principle that want of those pricks has zero right to tell me what I can put in my body. Check UK news they are talking about moving cannabis to class A rather than realising how far behind legalisation we are already. My only sad conclusion is that there are a great deal, mainly older people who get hard to see a tough government.

phutamucka202023-07-21
fffc2e28

fdhfd I'm heading down to my local apothecary right now for my weekly tincture of opium. What a great country the US is now /s

bart2022-09-30
a5773c00

Hand grenades? What country of manufacture?