Statement from DEA Administrator Anne Milgram on the Increase in DEA Fentanyl Seizures Containing Xylazine
WASHINGTON – DEA first warned the public of a sharp increase in fentanyl seizures containing xylazine in our March 2023 Public Safety Alert. Since that time, xylazine’s growing prevalence in the fentanyl supply continues to make the deadliest drug threat facing this country even deadlier.
In 2023, 30% of the fentanyl powder seized by DEA contained xylazine, up from 25% in 2022. The percentage of fentanyl pills testing positive for xylazine decreased slightly from 7% in 2022 to 6% in 2023. In total, DEA seized 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder and 79.5 million fentanyl pills in 2023.
In April 2023, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) designated fentanyl adulterated with xylazine as an emerging drug threat, indicating people who ingest fentanyl mixed with xylazine are at a higher risk of suffering a fatal drug poisoning.
DEA is publicly updating this information today as part of our commitment to save lives by keeping the American public informed of drug threats as we encounter them.
Anne Milgram
DEA Administrator
Additional information on xylazine can be found here.