DEA seized enough fentanyl to kill every American in 2022, agency says

Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said it has seized the equivalent of 379 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl in 2022, which is enough to kill all 331.9 million Americans.

On Tuesday the DEA announced it had taken 50.6 million fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl and more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder out of circulation this year. It is more than double the amount seized in 2021.

The synthetic opioid is considered the deadliest drug in the world. It is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. A dose smaller than a pencil eraser is enough to kill the average adult.

"These seizures -- enough deadly doses of fentanyl to kill every American -- reflect DEA's unwavering commitment to protect Americans and save lives, by tenaciously pursuing those responsible for the trafficking of fentanyl across the United States. DEA's top operational priority is to defeat the two Mexican drug cartels-the Sinaloa and Jalisco (CJNG) Cartels-that are primarily responsible for the fentanyl that is killing Americans today," said administrator Anne Milgram.

The administration claims most of the production of fentanyl is taking place in "secret" factories in Mexico using chemicals largely from China. Pills are then fashioned to look like prescription medications such as Oxycontin, Percocet or Xanax.

In November, the DEA released an alert that fentanyl-laced pills have become increasingly more deadly. Recent testing revealed about six of every 10 pills included potentially fatal doses of fentanyl.

"This marks a dramatic increase -- from four out of 10 to six out of 10 -- in the number of pills that can kill," Milgram said.

The DEA also captured about 131,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 4,300 pounds of heroin and 440,000 pounds of cocaine.