America is in the midst of a drug overdose epidemic that’s killing more people than Covid-19
The U.S. is in the midst of a drug overdose epidemic, with fentanyl at the centre of it all.
Now, the nation’s top drug enforcement agents say they’ve seized enough of the deadly substance to kill every single American.
That’s 379 million doses.
Fentanyl is highly addictive, 50 times more powerful than heroin and the deadliest drug threat facing the U.S. right now.
In 2021, this drug killed more people in San Francisco than Covid-19.
The Sinaloa and Jalisco drug cartels are producing the deadly substance at secret facilities in Mexico.
Their fentanyl is manufactured in Mexico with chemicals “largely sourced in China”.
“The DEA’s top operational priority is to defeat the two Mexican drug cartels that are primarily responsible for the fentanyl that is killing Americans today,” the DEA Administrator Anne Milligram said.
The DEA says it has now seized over 4,500kg of fentanyl. This is alongside more than 50 million fentanyl pills disguised as prescription painkillers.
It’s double 2021 levels and, despite the agency’s best efforts, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
“Never take a pill that wasn’t prescribed directly to you. Never take a pill from a friend. Never take a pill bought on social media. Just one pill is dangerous and one pill can kill.”
A lethal dose can fit on the tip of a pencil.
At least 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021 alone and it’s not hard to see why two-thirds of these deaths have been linked to fentanyl.
The DEA says its top operational priority is to defeat the two Mexican drug cartels and reduce unnecessary drug-related deaths.
“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,” the DEA administrator, Milgram said.
