The Dallas Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration seized more than 1 million fentanyl-laced pills and 7,000 pounds of methamphetamine in 2022.
According to CBSDFW, the pills seized contain more than 11.4 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl. Last month, the DEA announced there was a nationwide increase in the deadliness of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills. Laboratory testing in 2022 revealed that six out of 10 fentanyl-laced pills contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl, increasing from four out of 10 in 2021.
Local Profile previously reported that by September 2022, Plano alone saw 10 deaths related to drug overdoses, increasing 571% in Collin County in three years. In Plano and the rest of Collin County, heroin and fentanyl were primarily to blame.
“We’ve seen young men die out partying, they meant to take Adderall, but instead got Fentanyl. It is my opinion people and entities outside America, when they do that are intending to kill Americans,” Dallas County District Attorney John Cruezot told members of the Dallas City Council during a public safety meeting.
The Dallas Police Department told Local Profile that in 2021, 54 fentanyl cases were filed through patrol. Up to October 2022, 35 cases were already filed for the same offense. During this past year, the Dallas Police also investigated 51 “accidental deaths” in relation to drug consumption.
Fentanyl-related overdoses are now more common across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fentanyl kills more people than almost any other drug. In 2021, 71,238 fentanyl-caused deaths were reported, compared to 57,834 in 2020. But many deaths from drug overdose go unreported making the data seem better than it actually is.
Methamphetamine, a potentially fatal drug, is also a major issue in North Texas. According to CBSDFW, law enforcement officials said it continues to be one of the most significant drug threats to every community in North Texas and Oklahoma. The Dallas DEA alone seized 7,000 pounds of methamphetamine in 2022.
But many agencies and counties are working to prevent more drug-related deaths. The Washington/Baltimore High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program developed the Overdose Detection Mapping Application (ODMAP). The tool allows first responders to log fatal and nonfatal overdoses into a database that all related agencies can monitor.
Local Profile has reached out to the Collin County Sheriff’s Office and this story will be updated pending response.
