Roughly a million drugs laced with fentanyl have been seized in a bust close to Los Angeles earlier this month, based on federal authorities. It marks the largest seizure of fentanyl drugs in California historical past, authorities stated.
The Drug Enforcement Administration reported Thursday that the raid occurred on July 5 at a house in Inglewood, a metropolis simply south of Los Angeles. The drugs have an estimated road worth of between $15 and $20 million, officers stated.
The drugs have been "meant for retail distribution," the DEA stated.
This comes after what might have been the most important fentanyl seizure in historical past final week at a warehouse in Culiacan, Mexico, the place authorities stated they discovered a half-ton of fentanyl with an estimated road worth of $230 million.
In keeping with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, there have been greater than 107,000 drug overdose deaths within the U.S. in 2021, with artificial opioids accounting for about 71,000 of these.
Specialists say fentanyl, an artificial opioid, could be 50 instances extra highly effective than heroin and 100 instances extra highly effective than morphine.
"This huge seizure disrupted the movement of harmful quantities of fentanyl into our streets and doubtless saved many lives," DEA Particular Agent in Cost Invoice Bodner stated in a press release Thursday. "The misleading advertising coupled with the convenience of accessibility makes these small and seemingly innocuous drugs a major risk to the well being and security of all our communities. A staggering variety of teenagers and younger adults are unaware that they're ingesting fentanyl in these pretend drugs and are being poisoned."