NYPD, Feds Seize Enough Fentanyl to Kill 32M People in Record Bust

New York police teamed up with Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) investigators to seize enough fentanyl and other dangerous drugs to kill up to 32 million people–270 pounds worth. The drug seizure became the largest drug bust in New York City history.

DEA agents joined with the New York Police Department to seize nearly 270 pounds of fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin, the New York Post reported.

“The sheer volume of fentanyl pouring into the city is shocking,” Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said in a written statement. “The city is used as a hub of regional distribution for a lethal substance that is taking thousands of lives throughout the Northeast.”

Fentanyl can produce deadly consequences in doses of just two to three milligrams, PIX 11 reported. Officials said the quantities seized could have led to the 32 million lethal doses.

Initially, investigators found 140 pounds of fentanyl in one raid at the Kew Garden apartments. Additionally, law enforcement officers found 59 pounds of fentanyl that had been mixed with other drugs, such as heroin and cocaine.

Agents arrested Rogelio Alvarado-Robles and Blanca Flores-Solis during the initial raid.

A second raid, carried out this month, led to the seizure of 55 pounds of heroin and fentanyl in the Bronx. The raid led to the arrests of Edwin Guzman, 35, and Manuel Rivera-Santana, 32.

Earlier this year, Breitbart Texas reported a warning to law enforcement officers nationwide about the dangers of contacting fentanyl dust. The warning came after an Ohio police officer passed out after merely brushing some fentanyl dust off of his shirt. He brushed the dust away with his bare hand, leaving him unconscious. After medical teams saved his life, he continued experiencing chest pains, headaches, and fatigue.

Fentanyl continues to be one of the deadliest drugs in the United States, with a mere 2 to 3 milligrams able to kill an individual after consuming it. Fentanyl is often infused into heroin and cocaine.

“Fentanyl can kill you,” then-DEA Deputy Administrator Jack Riley advised in a sent out to law enforcement officers in 2015. “Fentanyl is being sold as heroin in virtually every corner of our country. It’s produced clandestinely in Mexico, and (also) comes directly from China. It is 40 to 50 times stronger than street-level heroin. A very small amount ingested, or absorbed through your skin, can kill you.”

“It’s so dangerous that while our people are gathering evidence they have to be in full suits that you would see for the clandestine team,” said Pittsburgh PD Public Relations Officer Stephen Limani.

Officials estimated the value of the New York seizures at more than $30 million.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimated that in 2015, at least 52,000 Americans died from drug-overdoses, an industry that Mexican and Latin American drug cartels largely control in the U.S. In Queens and the Bronx, the drug trade is primarily headed by the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas.