SALT LAKE CITY — Fentanyl is now the most common drug involved in overdose deaths in Utah according to Utah health officials. Law enforcement is doing all they can to try and stop the flow of fentanyl into our communities and now the FBI is supporting that effort.
Drug interdiction isn't typically associated with the FBI but federal officials say fentanyl is now a national crisis that also involves gangs, guns, and immigration issues. So agents are using their federal resources to help local law enforcement.
More than 600 Utahns died of drug overdoses in 2023 with nearly half of those cases involving fentanyl.
Rhys Williams, who is the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Salt Lake Division calls it a serious problem, "Here in Utah, we're seeing a tremendous amount of fentanyl! Yes, the tsunami has struck for sure!"
Williams has been with the Bureau for more than two decades. He says the recent flood of fentanyl into the country and into the Beehive State is staggering. In 2023, agents in Utah seized roughly 900,000 fentanyl pills. "In 2024, just last year, that increased all the way up to 1.8 million fentanyl pills," Williams stated.
And the issue doesn't appear to be slowing down. Just this month, Utah's U.S. Attorney handed down two fentanyl-related indictments. In each case, agents seized at least 10 pounds of the drug.
"It's everywhere, it's in our schools, our universities, and our colleges across the country," Williams explained. "Many people know family members, friends who have been affected by this scourge."
Williams says the FBI must assist and support local task force groups like the Wasatch Metro and Utah Country Drug and Major Crime squads. "We are hyper-focused on gangs and drugs because of the effect that it has on our communities," Williams explained. "Usually, money and drugs equals a gun and vice versa... there's always weapons."
To Williams, law enforcement teamwork is critical. In addition to working with local law enforcement, the FBI partners with DEA agents and ICE. Already this year 27 of the suspects who have been arrested for allegedly dealing fentanyl were also found to be in the U.S. illegally.
