SALT LAKE CITY — A record-breaking amount of doses of fentanyl were seized last year across several rocky mountain states and federal officials reported purchasing the potentially deadly drug is becoming easier.
The Drug Enforcement Administration's Rocky Mountain Division encompasses Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
In total, the division seized 5.8 million doses of fentanyl in 2022, which equates to 619,000 fentanyl pills and about 150 pounds of fentanyl powder.
“For the first time in my 31-year law enforcement career, we are seeing an oversaturated drug market," said Special Agent in Charge Brian Besser of the Rocky Mountain Division in a press release. "Anyone, including our kids, can buy dangerous and deadly drugs at the click of a button. This is like nothing we’ve experienced before and it makes our jobs as narcotics officers far more challenging and critical than ever before."
Besser explained that geographically, the Rocky Mountain Division is on the front lines of saving lives from fentanyl.
“We are geographically at the crossroads of the west, and this quite literally places the Rocky Mountain Division on the front lines in the fight to save lives," he said in a release. "You have my pledge that we will continue to do everything within our ability to keep this poison from reaching your communities."
Nationally, DEA announced more than 370 million doses of potentially deadly fentanyl were seized, which is enough fentanyl to kill every American.
In November, DEA reported a sharp increase in the lethality of fentanyl pills. The warning came after testing revealed six out of ten pills contained a deadly dose of the drug.
