VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A long-term drug bust investigation led to the arrest of multiple people accused of distributing several kilos of fentanyl in Volusia County.
August 21 is National Fentanyl Prevention Awareness Day and despite the deadly effect of the drug, supply and demand are still high.
“Over 110,000 Americans lost their lives to drug poisoning last year. Over 70% of those deaths were due to fentanyl,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said.
Volusia County authorities working on the investigation said they seized more than 200 grams of fentanyl mixed with Zylazine, an animal tranquilizer commonly known as “Tranq” or “Zombie drug.”
Officials collected small bags intended for street distribution and bags and bricks of wholesale amounts.
“It’s being hidden in other drugs and made to look like other prescription medications when in fact, it’s fentanyl,” Milgram said.
During a Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day speech, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said children ages 5 to 14 are the fastest-growing population in Florida to be affected by counterfeit pills that are actually pure fentanyl.
“I call these murder pills,” Moody said.
In 2021, DEA agents seized more than 58 million pills containing fentanyl. They also seized more than six and a half tons of fentanyl powder. Combining the numbers equates to nearly 387 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl that never hit the streets.
If you or someone you know has a drug addiction, call the drug addiction hotline at 800-662-4357.