DEA offices across the country seized record amounts of fentanyl in 2023. The Rocky Mountain Field Division, which includes Colorado, Utah, Montana and Wyoming, joined the effort by seizing over 3.4 million pills.
Fentanyl has recently been named as the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, according to the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division, or RMFD.
Nationally, DEA offices seized 77 million fentanyl pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. Colorado alone seized 2.61 million pills.
Regional numbers have nearly doubled. In 2021, RMFD seized only 565,200 fentanyl pills and 1.9 million in 2022.
“Fentanyl continues to be the deadliest drug threat facing our nation. The DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division, in collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners, prevented more than 3.4 million fentanyl pills from reaching our communities in calendar year 2023,” said David Olesky, acting special agent in charge for DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division.
Not only has access to fentanyl increased but the potential that the doses contained in the pills has also increased. According to the DEA’s office, every seven out of 10 pills tested in 2023 contained a potentially deadly dose. In 2021, that number was four out of 10; in 2022, it was six out of 10 pills.
A deadly dose of fentanyl is considered to be two milligrams, which is approximately the amount that fits on the tip of a pencil.
The influx of fentanyl is attributed to two cartels — the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Cartel.
“While the significant increase in fentanyl seizures across the region demonstrates the outstanding work our agents and partners in law enforcement are doing, the numbers also reveal the extent to which the cartels continue to flood our nation with this poison. As we begin the new year, DEA is committed to staying laser-focused on investigating the two cartels most responsible for trafficking fentanyl into the United States, as well as bringing greater public awareness to the dangers of fentanyl,” Olesky said.
The DEA is on a mission to defeat the cartels in 2024. It has launched 48 investigations into the cartels which have a presence in the Rocky Mountain region.
Additionally, the DEA has also ushered in a transformation of DEA’s organization and strategy to find a new approach to meeting the deadliest drug threat the country has ever faced.
