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SALT LAKE CITY (KSTU) — Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents are on pace to set a record for the amount of fentanyl seized in Utah this year.
With most children on summer vacation, officials say now is the time for parents and guardians to talk to them about the potential dangers, saying “one pill can kill.”
Utah agents have already seized more than 600,000 fentanyl pills this year and it’s only June.
The deadly drug continues to flow north from laboratories in Mexico, through the state of Utah and increasingly onto our streets.
Agent Dustin Gillespie, who heads the DEA’s Salt Lake office, says law enforcement officials at all levels are doing everything they can to try to stem the flow of fentanyl into the United States.
“It is our focus, it is our priority and that is how it should be and that is how it will be for the foreseeable future,” he explained.
Two major Mexican drug gangs, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, are the main manufacturers, producing thousands of pounds of powdered fentanyl that is then shipped to the United States, Gillespie said.
“It is very cheap for the cartels to manufacture it. Therefore, it is the perfect medicine for them to manufacture and distribute to our citizens here in the states,” he explained.
Just last month, the U.S. Attorney in Utah charged several people with allegedly possessing, with intent to distribute, tens of thousands of fentanyl pills and several pounds of fentanyl in powder form.
“We are targeting those cartels and distribution networks that operate here in the valley and throughout the state of Utah and we will continue to do so,” Gillespie said.
Now, with most Utah students out of school for summer break, Gillespie says it’s a perfect time for parents and guardians to remind them not to buy or accept anything offered to them at a party.
“Kids are out of school, but fentanyl doesn’t take a summer break, so have the conversation with your kids and keep it up,” he said.
Fentanyl poisonings are currently reported to be the leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.
Gillespie says this is a serious and deadly problem and wants to make sure everyone is informed about the dangers.
“It’s a double effort to work on that type of research,” he reflected, “but also reach out to communities and help reduce demand by raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl.”
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