INDIANAPOLIS – Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and the Justice Department, announced Thursday the results of an enforcement operation that spanned from May to September and resulted in significant fentanyl seizures across the United States.
As part of the One Pill Can Kill initiative, the DEA and its law enforcement partners seized more than 10.2 million fentanyl pills and approximately 980 pounds of fentanyl powder during the period of May 23 through Sept. 8. The amount of fentanyl taken off the streets nationwide during this surge is equivalent to more than 36 million lethal doses removed from the illegal drug supply.
Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this nation. In 2021, a record number of Americans, 107,622, died from drug poisoning or overdose. About 66% of those deaths can be attributed to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
Indiana officials say 2,554 Hoosiers died of drug overdoses in 2021 and over 70% of the deaths were caused by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Through August 1 of this year, over 2,500 Hoosiers have been lost to drug overdoses, the vast majority from fentanyl and similar drugs.
