DEA announces the amount of fentanyl it seized during 2022

DENVER — During 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rocky Mountain Division seized more than 5.8 million potentially fatal doses of fentanyl.

Also, during 2022, the division, which watches over Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming also took control of nearly two million fentanyl pills and more than 150 pounds of fentanyl powder.

In December, the DEA announced seizure totals from around the country to be at 50.6 million fentanyl pills and more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl power. According to the DEA Laboratory, those seizures represent more than 379 million potentially fatal doses of fentanyl. That is enough fentanyl to kill every American.

“For the first time in my 31-year law enforcement career, we are seeing an oversaturated drug market. 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,” said Special Agent in Charge Brian Besser of the Rocky Mountain Division in a news release. “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. You have my pledge that we will continue to do everything within our ability to keep this poison from reaching your communities.”

According to the DEA, fentanyl continues to be the deadliest drug facing the United States. Just two milligrams of the drug, small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil is considered to be a potentially fatal dose. 

For additional information and resources on the dangers of fentanyl, visit DEA.gov/onepill.

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