HOUSTON – As 2022 comes to an end, the Drug Enforcement Administration Houston Field Division announced that it has seized over 670,000 in fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills and more than 230 pounds of fentanyl powder this year.
The DEA says the seizures prevented more than 7 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl.
Recommended Videos
According to the DEA, Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat facing this country. It is a highly addictive man-made opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, the small amount that fits on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially deadly dose.
“The men and women of the DEA Houston Field Division tirelessly worked to eradicate over 7 million deadly doses of fentanyl from our communities across the southern, eastern, and western parts of the state,” said Special Agent in Charge of the Houston Field Division Daniel C. Comeaux. “These seizures are a testament to the imminent threat the Sinaloa and Jalisco (CJNG) Cartels continue to pose and our relentless determination to go after anyone that brings this poison to our cherished communities.”
The DEA said most of the fentanyl that is being trafficked by the Sinaloa and CJNG Cartels is being mass-produced at secret factories in Mexico with chemicals sourced largely from China.
In 2021, the DEA issued a Public Safety Alert on the widespread drug trafficking of fentanyl in the form of fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills. These pills are made to look identical to real prescription medications, including OxyContin, Percocet, and Xanax, but only contain filler and fentanyl, and are often deadly.
Just last month, the DEA said it alerted the public to a sharp nationwide increase in the lethality of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills.
DEA laboratory testing in 2022 revealed that six out of 10 fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. This is an increase from the DEA’s announcement in 2021 that four out of 10 fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills contain a potentially deadly dose.
In 2022, DEA seized more than double the amount of fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills that it seized in 2021. DEA also seized nearly 131,000 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 4,300 pounds of heroin, and over 444,000 pounds of cocaine.
DEA is now providing a regularly updated counter at http://www.dea.gov to track approximate amounts of fentanyl pills and fentanyl powder seized by DEA.