FARGO (KFGO) – Throughout 2022, Drug Enforcement Administration investigators nationwide reported seizing more than 379 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl in both pill and powder form, enough to kill every American. In some states, seized-dose totals tripled the amount reported in 2021.
DEA spokeswoman Emily Murray said 36,000 lethal doses of fentanyl were seized by federal agents in North Dakota this year – most of which was mass-produced by cartels at secret factories in Mexico.
The DEA’s Omaha Division which covers five states including North Dakota seized nearly 4.7 million lethal doses of fentanyl in both pill and powder form.
“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. “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 that is 50 times stronger than heroin. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially deadly dose. The DEA says fentanyl is the number one drug threat in North Dakota.
Most of the fentanyl trafficked by the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is being mass-produced at secret factories in Mexico with chemicals sourced largely from China. Fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills made to look identical to real medications—including OxyContin, Percocet, and Xanax—but only containing filler and fentanyl prompted the DEA to issue a public safety alert after laboratory testing revealed that six out of 10 of the pills contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.
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