The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials announced on December 3 that in October in Los Angeles, federal drug enforcement personnel seized over 1 million counterfeit fentanyl pills disguised as other legitimate medications such as painkillers and sleeping pills.
According to reports from the city’s news agency, data provided by the DEA Los Angeles Division showed the seizure of 1,027,206 counterfeit pills, 70.97 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 978 kilograms of methamphetamine, 149.32 kilograms of cocaine, three pharmaceutical pill presses, 15 firearms, and over $28.85 million in cash.
The DEA Los Angeles Division is one of the agencies participating in the “Operation Fentanyl Free America” launched by the federal government in October, among a total of 23 domestic and 7 overseas DEA divisions.
Special Agent Brian Clark of the DEA Los Angeles Division stated in a press release, “With strengthened enforcement, education, increased public awareness, and prevention efforts, a fentanyl-free America is within reach. Each one of us plays a crucial role in the battle against fentanyl. We have made significant progress, but we cannot afford to stop.”
As of December 1, the DEA has seized over 45 million fentanyl pills and over 9,320 pounds (about 4,225 kilograms) of fentanyl powder.
The press release from the agency noted, “DEA intelligence indicates shifts in drug trafficking operations, with an increase in fentanyl powder smuggling and a rise in domestic production of fentanyl pills. The discovery of over twenty pill presses in October further underscores this trend.”
The lethal dose of fentanyl is only 2 milligrams. According to the DEA press release, since 2021, opioid drugs (including fentanyl) have caused nearly 325,000 deaths in the United States.