The federal Drug Enforcement Administration says it seized 379 million doses of the synthetic opioid fentanyl in pill and powder form last year, enough to kill every American.
The DEA’s five-state Omaha Division – Nebraska Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas, seized 4.7 million doses.
Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Justin King says the amount of fentanyl seized in the division this year has far surpassed the totals from last year with the total for some states tripling them.
King says the lethality and seriousness of fentanyl can’t be talked about enough, so he’s urging families to sit down and have conversations about the consequences that can come from taking what he calls “this incredibly potent substance.”
Just two milligrams of fentanyl, small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially deadly dose. Agent King says Fentanyl is the primary drug threat in Minnesota and ties methamphetamine as #1 in the rest of the Omaha District.
King also says the DEA has created a Faces of Fentanyl memorial to commemorate the lives lost from fentanyl poisoning. To submit a photo of a loved one lost to fentanyl, please send their name, age, and photograph to fentanylawareness@dea.gov, or post a photo and their name to social media using the hashtag #JustKNOW.