More than 4 million fentanyl pills and 864 pounds of fentanyl powder had been seized over the past 1
More than 4 million fentanyl pills and 864 pounds of fentanyl powder had been seized over the past 18 months by law enforcement agencies throughout California as they continue to battle the opioid crisis, officials stated on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
Throughout that span, law enforcement agencies arrested 217 suspects accused of moving or dealing lethal fentanyl, stated California Attorney General Rob Bonta during a downtown Los Angeles press conference.
“Throughout the nation, we continue to address the impacts of the opioid crisis and have in recent years seen a marked increase in fentanyl use and associated deaths,” the attorney general stated.
In Southern California, the operations led to the seizure of practically 2.3 million fentanyl pills and 762 pounds of powder, Bonta stated, and 121 arrests.
In the Inland Empire, 25 suspects had been arrested whereas 790,000 pills and 36 pounds of powder had been seized, he stated.
Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and just two milligrams may very well be fatal, Bonta stated, adding that his office was aware of rainbow-colored pills said to be targeted for kids. When combined with other drugs, fentanyl will increase the probability of a fatal overdose, he stated.
The state has budgeted almost $8 million for the effort, allowing Bonta’s office to hire for new positions, he stated.
“Today is a down payment on our work to tackle the fentanyl crisis,” Bonta stated. “The poison peddlers in our neighborhoods should watch out because we are coming for them next.”
Bonta stated the state was not interested in “restarting the war on drugs,” by putting those battling dependancy behind bars however rather getting them treatment.
The opioid crisis started within the 1990s, Bonta stated, as pharmaceutical companies “put profits over lives” by misleading the public in regards to the effects of the drug.
Along with the busts, settlements between the state Department of Justice and pharmaceutical companies have netted $32 billion nationwide, with $2 billion specifically for California, “bringing much needed funding back to communities for treatment and prevention strategies,” Bonta stated.
“Every dollar, every investment, every person, every takedown potentially saves a life,” the attorney stated. “The number of pills — every one of those represents a potential injury or death. We’re seeing a crisis, and when you see a crisis you need to do what you do in a crisis: All hands on deck.”
Source: 4 million pills, 860 million pounds of illegal fentanyl seized in California in last 18 months
