Authorities in Southern California say they seized 18 pounds of fentanyl last week—enough to make four million lethal doses.
Officials shared a photo of the seizure on Twitter, explaining: “The threat of fentanyl is increasing exponentially.
“So far in 2019, teams have seized more than 100 pounds of the deadly drug, setting the pace to more than double fentanyl seizures for the third year.”
The image included more than 18 pounds of fentanyl, along with 5 pounds of heroin, half a pound of methamphetamine, and a loaded semi-automatic handgun.
“Multiple enforcement, narcotics, gang and interdiction teams covering OCSD contact cities and unincorporated areas work tirelessly to interdict illicit drugs. Pharmaceutical fentanyl, a synthetic opioid pain reliever, is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. Illicit fentanyl, sold on the street, started to emerge locally in 2017.
“In 2016, teams seized less than one pound of fentanyl. In 2018, teams seized 44 pounds of fentanyl. This far in 2019, teams have seized more than 100 pounds of confirmed fentanyl, more than doubling from 2018 totals with two and a half months left in the year.”
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said: “The threat this extremely potent drug poses to our community is increasing exponentially, not subsiding.”
He was arrested on suspicion of possessing fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine for sale and of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was held on a $2 million bail, the publication reports.
The drug—which can be prescribed legally—is used for pain control during surgery and for chronic or breakthrough cancer pain. However, even a small amount can be fatal. It is also regularly being manufactured illegally and sold for its euphoric effects.
The report noted that there had been no “substantive curtailment of fentanyl flows from China to the United States,” which was largely due to “weak regulations governing pharmaceutical and chemical production in China.”
Nyquist said: “It opens up a number of opportunities for the penetration of the country, both in terms of laundering money and in terms of blackmail against those who participate in the trade and become corrupt like law enforcement, intelligence, and government officials.”
He claimed that China also uses the money generated by the importing of fentanyl to effectively “influence political parties.”
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