The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the seizure of more than 50.6 million fentanyllaced, fake prescription pills and more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2022. It is estimated that these seizures represent more than 379 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl.
In Michigan, Ohio and northern Kentucky, DEA personnel seized more than 280,000 fentanyl-laced pills and over 600 pounds of fentanyl powder—more than 19 million deadly doses.
Fentanyl is the greatest drug threat facing the country today. A highly addictive opioid, it is 50 times more potent than heroin. Just two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially deadly dose.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said that the immense amount of fentanyl removed from U.S. communities this year “reflects the DEA’s unwavering commitment to protect Americans and save lives, by tenaciously pursuing those responsible for the trafficking of fentanyl.”
Most of the fentanyl trafficked is mass-produced by cartels 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. The 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.
“Fentanyl in pill form is a deliberate attempt by drug cartels to make illicit drug use more appealing to Americans. We have seized fentanyl in just about every size, shape and color in both Michigan and Ohio,” said DEA Detroit special agent in charge, Orville O. Greene.
“These fake pills are readily found on social media, yet no pharmaceutical pill bought on social media should be considered safe. The only safe medications are ones prescribed directly to you by a trusted medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist.”
DEA laboratory testing in 2022 revealed that six out of ten fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills contained a potentially lethal dose of the drug. This is an increase from 2021 findings that four out of ten fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills contained a potentially deadly dose.
In 2022, more than double the amount of fentanyl-laced and fake prescription pills were seized than in 2021.
The DEA is now providing a regularly updated counter at dea.gov to track approximate amounts of fentanyl pills and fentanyl powder seizures.
