Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials have detailed the Omaha Division’s seizure of nearly 4.7 million lethal doses of fentanyl in both pill and powder form throughout 2022.
“The amount of fentanyl we’ve seized across our Division has far surpassed our totals from last year,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Justin C. King said. “In some states, our totals tripled the amount reported in 2021. The lethality and seriousness of this drug can’t be talked about enough. Now is the time for families to sit down and have conversations about the consequences that can come from taking this incredibly potent substance.”
Fentanyl is a highly addictive man-made opioid 50 times stronger than heroin. It serves as the primary drug threat in Minnesota and ties with methamphetamine as the top drug threat in Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Per the DEA, two milligrams of fentanyl, small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially deadly dose, with most of the fentanyl trafficked by the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) being mass-produced at secret factories in Mexico with chemicals sourced largely from China.
The DEA indicated 2022 laboratory testing determined six out of 10 fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl, representing an increase from the agency’s announcement in 2021 that four out of 10 fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills contain a potentially deadly dose.