Over 70 million lethal doses of fentanyl seized in New York last year

Seventy-two million lethal doses of fentanyl were seized in New York state last year — as federal and local authorities continue to sound the alarm on the deadly synthetic drug.

The total haul by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Division came to 1.9 million fentanyl-laced prescription pills and 1,958 pounds of fentanyl across the state, officials said Thursday.

“To put that into perspective, throughout 2022 we seized enough deadly doses of fentanyl in New York for more than three times the population of New York state,” said Frank Tarentino, who heads the DEA’s local office.

The shocking year-end tally comes just days after The Post detailed the heartbreaking toll fentanyl has taken on New Yorkers over the last few years — with the drug accounting for more than 80% of the city’s overdose deaths.

A picture of police officers standing in front of bags of drugs.
The total haul by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Division came to 1.9 million fentanyl-laced prescription pills, according to officials.
William Farrington
Around 1,958 pounds of fentanyl were hauled across the state, officials said Thursday.
Around 1,958 pounds of fentanyl were hauled across the state, officials said.
William Farrington

Nearly one million of the fake pills, which authorities told The Post have become the latest trend on the street, were seized as part of cases handled by the New York City Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office — and marked a 425% increase over 2021, officials said.

Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said the Big Apple’s illegal drug trade is “saturated” with fentanyl.

“Even casual or occasional illegal drug use could be fatal, and with an explosion in counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, a single tablet purchased online or on social media could be deadly,” she said.

There were more than 3,000 fatal overdoses in New York City in the 12 months ending in July 2022 — 8 in 10 of those caused by fentanyl, according to the latest federal data.

The manmade drug is funneled into the US from the southern border, smuggled in by Mexican Cartels that source much of it from China.

Seventy-two million lethal doses of fentanyl were seized in New York state last year.
Seventy-two million lethal doses of fentanyl were seized in New York state last year.

Federal and local authorities continue to sound the alarm on the deadly synthetic drug.
Federal and local authorities continue to sound the alarm on the deadly synthetic drug.


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DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarantino and Bridget G Brennan, right.
DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarantino and Bridget G Brennan held a press conference at DEA offices.
William Farrington

Synthetic opioid has made their way into the drug market disguised as prescription pills, such as Xanax or oxycodone, or laced into other drugs by dealers.

Across the country, the DEA has seized more than 50.6 million fake pills laced with fentanyl and over 10,000 pounds of the drug in powder form.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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