INDIANAPOLIS — Federal authorities are touting the results of a massive nationwide fentanyl seizure over the summer.
The Justice Department said Tuesday the "One Pill Can Kill" initiative led to the seizure of more than 10.2 million fentanyl pills and approximately 980 pounds of fentanyl powder from May 23 through Sept. 8 of this year.
The department said the amount seized is the equivalent of more than 36 million lethal doses of fentanyl. Authorities say two milligrams of fentanyl — the amount that can fit on the tip of a pencil — is considered a potentially lethal dose.
The operation, conducted in cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration and other law enforcement partners, also netted 338 weapons, including rifles, shotguns, pistols and hand grenades.
The Justice Department said 390 cases were investigated during the enforcement period, including 51 that were linked to overdose poisonings and 35 that investigators linked to one or both of the primary Mexican cartels responsible for bringing in most of the fentanyl in the United States. The department also said 129 investigations are connected to social media platforms.
“Drug overdose deaths touch every Hoosier—our families, our friends, our children. These tragedies are overwhelmingly driven by trafficking of fentanyl and other deadly opioids,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “The cartels and drug traffickers push these poisonous chemicals into our communities with utter disregard for human life.”
The U.S. Attorney's Office said numerous individuals in Indiana have been prosecuted in fentanyl trafficking cases. Among those investigated was 56-year-old Keith Jones, the alleged leader of an organization that intended on distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in Indianapolis. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in July. Twenty other members of the organization are also facing charges.
Two people in Evansville, 34-year-old Arcinial Montreal Watt and 24-year-old Jazmynn Alaina Brown, were charged last week for conspiring to distribute fentanyl in a case that resulted in the death of a 3-year-old girl and the hospitalization of a 1-year-old child, both due to fentanyl overdoses.
“Far too many lives have been lost across Indiana from drug overdoses and poisonings involving fake pills laced with fentanyl,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Gannon, DEA Indianapolis.
The Justice Department said a record 107,622 people died from drug poisoning or overdose in 2021, with nearly two-thirds of those attributed to synthetic opioids, including fentanyl. In Indiana, 2,554 Hoosiers died from drug overdoses in 2021. That total was matched in the Hoosier State in the first seven months of this year.