United States Drug Enforcement Administration

OMAHA – Throughout 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division seized nearly 4.7 million lethal doses of fentanyl in both pill and powder form.  Nationally, DEA investigators reported seizing more than 379 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl in a 12 month span, enough to kill every American.

“The amount of fentanyl we’ve seized across our Division has far surpassed our totals from last year,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Justin C. King said. “In some states, our totals tripled the amount reported in 2021. The lethality and seriousness of this drug can’t be talked about enough. Now is the time for families to sit down and have conversations about the consequences that can come from taking this incredibly potent substance.”

Fentanyl is a highly addictive man-made opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially deadly dose. Fentanyl is the primary drug threat in Minnesota and ties with methamphetamine as the number one drug threat in Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Most of the fentanyl trafficked by the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is being mass-produced at secret factories in Mexico with chemicals sourced largely from China. In 2021, the DEA issued a Public Safety Alert on the widespread drug trafficking of fentanyl in the form of fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills. These pills are made to look identical to real prescription medications—including OxyContin®, Percocet®, and Xanax®—but only contain filler and fentanyl, and are often deadly. Fake pills are readily found on social media. No pharmaceutical pill bought on social media is safe. The only safe medications are ones prescribed directly to you by a trusted medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist.

The DEA alerted the public to a sharp nationwide increase in the lethality of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills last month.  DEA laboratory testing in 2022 revealed that six out of 10 fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. This is an increase from DEA’s announcement in 2021 that four out of 10 fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills contain a potentially deadly dose.

DEA has created a Faces of Fentanyl memorial to commemorate the lives lost from fentanyl poisoning. To submit a photo of a loved one lost to fentanyl, please send their name, age, and photograph to fentanylawareness@dea.gov, or post a photo and their name to social media using the hashtag #JustKNOW.