Prosecutors: NYC Drug Bust Had Enough Fentanyl to Kill 32 Million People

Authorities seized enough fentanyl to kill 32 million people in a New York City drug bust in August, prosecutors say.

NBC New York reports that authorities seized nearly 195 pounds of fentanyl in August and September, with one drug bust containing enough lethal doses of the drug to kill 32 million people. Fentanyl, an opioid, is 50 times more powerful than heroin.

“The sheer volume of fentanyl pouring into the city is shocking,” she said. “It’s not only killing a record number of people in New York City, but the city is used as a hub of regional distribution for a lethal substance that is taking thousands of lives throughout the Northeast.”

Authorities also confiscated 75 pounds of cocaine and heroin in the two drug busts, which led to the arrest of four people.

Police and federal agents confiscated more than 140 pounds of fentanyl in the first drug bust on August 1, 2017. Authorities witnessed two suspects receiving what appeared to be a package of cocaine from a drug trafficker at a New Jersey Walmart.

This event led them to an apartment building in Queens, where they found 97 packages of drugs in suitcases and a purse after obtaining a search warrant. Eighty-four of the packages were filled with fentanyl or heroin laced with the drug.

Authorities arrested suspects Rogelio Alvardo-Robles and Blanca Flores-Solis, who both face charges of criminal drug possession.

In the second bust on September 5, 2017, authorities confiscated 53 pounds of fentanyl-laced heroin and two pounds of uncut fentanyl near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Detectives and DEA agents witnessed the two suspects take a large duffel bag from inside a tractor-trailer and drive toward New York City.

After authorities obtained a warrant to search the locked duffel bag, they found 25 bricks of the drug weighing 1 kilogram each. They arrested Edwin Guzman and Manuel Rivera-Santana, who both face criminal drug possession and conspiracy charges.

Prosecutors say the estimated value of both drug busts is around $30 million.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 20,000 out of the 64,000 reported deaths from drug overdoses were caused by synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

The drug is so powerful that even a minuscule amount can be lethal. In May, Texas cop fell unconscious after brushing off some fentanyl powder from his shirt following a drug bust. Officials say medics had to give him four doses of the opioid antidote Narcan before he regained consciousness.