ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Fentanyl on the streets continues to be a major issue and recently, efforts have been going on to help remove the deadly drug from the streets.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is continuing its fight against the deadly threat of synthetic opioids with the launch of Fentanyl Free America, an enforcement initiative and public awareness campaign aimed at reducing both the supply and demand for fentanyl. As DEA Special Agent in Charge Michael Davis tells it, efforts to combat fentanyl have been ongoing for a long time.
“Through enforcement operations and heightened intelligence, the DEA is applying unprecedented pressure on the global fentanyl supply chain, and these efforts have led to a decrease in both fentanyl powder purity and the number of fentanyl pills containing a potentially lethal dose,” Davis said. “In fact, as of Dec. 1, DEA officers has seized more than 45 million fentanyl pills, and more than 9,320 pounds of fentanyl powder, removing an estimated 347 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl nationwide. Within the DEA St. Louis Field Division alone, which covers Kansas, Missouri and Southern Illinois, fentanyl seizures accounted for the removal of more than 20 million potentially fatal doses. DEA intelligence indicates a shift in cartel operations, with increased trafficking of fentanyl powder and domestic production of fentanyl pills. The seizure of more than two dozen pill press machines in October, including two from Kansas, further highlights this trend. This initiative started very recently, but we've conducted multiple operations in the past several months that were part of these efforts. What we've been seeing recently is a decrease in the number of overdose deaths caused by fentanyl and a decrease in fentanyl powder purity. We want to keep our foot on the pedal and keep that decrease trend going so there are fewer overdose deaths and less fentanyl on the streets.”
Davis said there were multiple factors that led to the initiative’s inception.
“The decision to put together this initiative came from our DEA headquarters, and it's really a continuation of our efforts to go after fentanyl and its producers/suppliers,” Davis said. “We want there to be a continued decrease in the availability of fentanyl and a decline in the number of overdose deaths, and this initiative is truly DEA-wide.”
The efforts, Davis said, include collaboration with other law enforcement entities.
“When we do initiatives like this, we always find ways to partner with state and community law enforcement partners and keep them involved since this is truly a nationwide issue and not something limited to just one part of the country,” Davis said. “We team up with those partners to go after individuals and organizations who are putting this poison on the streets, and there have been multiple occasions when those local cases have led us to the higher levels of those cartel organizations. All the divisions within the DEA work to go after these individuals, and a major goal is to take down the cartel organizations. Back in January, there were multiple cartel organizations designated as terrorist organizations, and they're primarily responsible for the fentanyl that gets into not just the Midwest region but all over the rest of the U.S. We'll continue working with state and local law enforcement partners to target individuals distributing these drugs. The threat of poly-drug organizations, which includes the cartels that traffic multiple drugs, became even more apparent during this operation. Aside from producing less potent fentanyl, cartels have increasingly diversified their operations in an attempt to minimize their risks and maximize profits, and we saw that in October when we seized nearly 165 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 120 pounds of cocaine across the DEA St. Louis Field Division.”
Davis added there is work law enforcement entities and civilians can do to help.
“This is not just an enforcement campaign, it's also a public awareness campaign. Enforcement is in our name, and we go after criminals on the streets, but we also encourage state and community law enforcement entities to help us get the word out,” Davis said. “We want to educate people so they know what's being put out there, how lethal fentanyl is, etc., and we hope that helps continue the downward trend we've been seeing. Our state and local partners do a great job with those efforts, but we also go out into the communities and to schools and various workplaces to talk to as many people as possible so they can be educated. When you're talking to your children or others in your life, if you notice changes in behavior or anything like that, have a conversation with them and try to gauge what's going on. We encourage everyone from community leaders, clergy, educators, parents, physicians, pharmacists, and law enforcement to take an active role in raising awareness by protecting others through education, preventing fentanyl overdoses by understanding the dangers, and supporting those impacted. Free resources including posters, radio advertising, billboards, and social media resources are available at dea.gov/fentanylfree. There are many of those resources that include talking points especially for younger people.”
Davis said parents of younger children should especially be having conversations about the dangers of fentanyl and other similar narcotics.
“Education about the dangers of synthetic narcotics is important, especially for teens and young adults, because they're the ones being more heavily targeted by local traffickers and the cartels. It's up to parents and other close authority figures to sit down with those young people and inform them about the dangers that are out there,” Davis said. “We have multiple resources to assist in kicking off those talks, and we definitely encourage anyone and everyone to take a look at them. When it comes to overdose deaths, it's the leading cause of death for individuals ages 18 to 44, so it's truly all throughout the spectrum what we're seeing. That's why we do our best to get out to schools and among younger people as well as town hall events or bigger community events so we can share the dangers of synthetic narcotics. We're going to continue those efforts, because we want the U.S. to be safer, healthier and more secure, and we want to eliminate the threat of synthetic narcotics. Our work is definitely having an impact because we've seen a decrease in overdose deaths, a decrease in the purity of the fentanyl powder, and a decrease in the number of drugs we're seizing. That tells us our combined efforts are going well.”
Overall, Davis said, there are no plans for the DEA to slow down its efforts.
“We want to stay at the forefront of the fight to disrupt trafficking networks and strengthen the government’s response to this epidemic. Fentanyl Free America represents our heightened focus on enforcement, education, public awareness and strategic partnerships,” Davis said. “The goal of the campaign is clear, to eliminate the fentanyl supply fueling the nation’s deadliest drug crisis. Since 2021, synthetic opioids have claimed nearly 325,000 American lives, and we don't want that number to keep climbing. Enforcement alone won't help us achieve the results we're seeking, we've got to get out in the communities and make people aware of the dangers of these synthetic narcotics and educate them. As the saying goes, it takes a village, and it will take everyone to help us with this initiative.”
