GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — With drug cartels manufacturing fentanyl to look like prescription medication, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the United States Attorney's Office is cracking down on the dangerous drug that is 50 times more potent than heroine.
"During phase three, the DEA took over 10 million fentanyl pills, fake pills over the street and approximately 982 pounds of fentanyl powder," said DEA Detroit Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene.
Throughout the DEA's 'One Pill Can Kill' campaign from May 23 until Sept. 8, the agency focused on educating the public on the dangers of fentanyl and how they're now being made to look like common drugs, and taking those drugs off of the street.
The DEA and law enforcement also made a large seizure here in the Michigan and Ohio region, which is popular for drug trafficking along Interstate 75.
"Relative to Michigan and Ohio, We received approximately four million deadly doses, the majority of which were seized in Ohio," said Greene.
Dr. Colleen Lane, Medical Director of Addiction Medicine at Spectrum Health said she has seen firsthand what addiction to opioids can do and the destruction it has on communities.
"As we've heard, the numbers are skyrocketing in Michigan in the last year, over 2,800 drug poisonings resulting in death," said Dr. Lane.
Locally in Kent County, the health department said from January of 2021 until June of 2022, out of 160 opioid overdose deaths in Kent County, 108 were fentanyl related.
Dr. Lane reiterates the dangers street drugs are having on community members when it comes to accidental overdoses.
"We have patients who think they are taking a pain pill, familiarly named Percocet," said Dr. Lane. "And what it actually is, is fentanyl powder that looks like it came from a pharmacy."
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