DEA seizes millions in fentanyl doses, hundreds of pounds in meth in Ohio and other states

DETROIT, Michigan (WKBN) – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced that millions of deadly doses of fentanyl and over 200 pounds of meth were removed as a part of a year-long operation.

The press release states that more than 3.8 million deadly doses of fentanyl and 201 pounds of methamphetamine were removed from communities in Michigan, Ohio and Northern Kentucky during “Operation Last Mile.”

This was an operation that targeted operatives, associates and distributors affiliated with the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels who were responsible for the most recent mass distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine on the streets and on social media, according to the DEA.

According to the DEA, the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels based in Mexico use violent local street gangs and criminal groups and individuals across the United States to flood American communities with huge amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine, driving addiction and violence and killing Americans in the process.

The report states that members of the cartel would use several social media applications like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat to reach out to victims.

The DEA said there were 1,436 investigations conducted from May 1, 2022, through
May 1, 2023, in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement partners. This resulted in 3,337 arrests and the seizure of nearly 44 million fentanyl pills, more than 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, more than 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 8,497 firearms, and more than $100 million.

The DEA said among these investigations, more than 1,100 cases involved the use of social media applications.

“What is also alarming, American social media platforms are the means by which they do so. The
Cartels use social media and encrypted platforms to run their operations and reach out to victims, and when their product kills Americans, they simply move on to try to victimize the millions of other Americans who are social media users,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.

According to the press release, the Detroit Division, responsible for DEA operations in Michigan, Ohio and northern Kentucky, made 16 arrests and seized 20,636 fentanyl pills, 151 pounds of fentanyl powder, $5,809,597 in cash and assets, 201 pounds of methamphetamine and 360 firearms.

Overall, fentanyl seizures could provide a deadly dose to more than 3.8 million people.