By Steve Neavling
The DEA seized about 1 million fake pills laced with fentanyl in Inglewood, Calif., setting a record for the largest seizure of the synthetic opioid in the state’s history.
Beginning in May, the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Group 48 began investigating a Los Angeles-area drug trafficking organization with suspected links to the Sinaloa Cartel. Agents identified narcotic couriers and stash house managers who were involved.
The seizure was made while agents executed a search warrant on July 5 at an Inglewood residence.
The street value of fentanyl was approximately $15 to $20 million, the DEA.
“This massive seizure disrupted the flow of dangerous amounts of fentanyl into our streets and probably saved many lives,” DEA Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner said in a statement. “The deceptive marketing coupled with the ease of accessibility makes these small and seemingly innocuous pills a significant threat to the health and safety of all our communities. A staggering number of teens and young adults are unaware that they are ingesting fentanyl in these fake pills and are being poisoned.”
In a letter to local, state and federal law enforcement in April, the DEA warned about a nationwide spike in fentanyl-related mass overdoses.
