The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced a new initiative , the Wave Breaker Project, to interrupt the flow of deadly fentanyl to the United States.
The Wave Breaker Project will target the areas of greatest impact to interrupt the flow of fentanyl in United States and will use analytical intelligence to stop the activities of Mexican transnational criminal organizations, such as the Sinaloa Cartel , which is the main supplier and distributor of fentanyl and other drugs throughout the country.
The Chicago Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office will coordinate this new US effort to disrupt the flow of fentanyl from Mexico , which has caused tens of thousands of deaths from overdoses in the country.
“Although an important entry point for For fentanyl is the southwestern border, the cartels are spreading their poison in communities across the country, ”said acting DEA administrator D in a statement. Christopher Evans.
“Through this initiative, we are addressing a very real threat to public health, public safety and national security. , identifying the most egregious street-level networks in our communities and blasting our way through the supply chain, ”added Evans.
Special Agent in Charge of the Division of the DEA in Chicago, Robert J. Bell, said that “Breakwater” involves Chicago and other ten divisions of the DEA such as New York, San Diego, Los Angeles, Detroit or El Paso, to which the 85% of synthetic opioids seized by the agency in 2020.
According to the statement, the Mexican cartels, in particular the Sinaloa Cartel, have capitalized on America’s opioid epidemic and prescription drug abuse, flooding communities c on illicit fentanyl and increasing overdose death rates.
Based on the most recently released interim data from the CDC, more than 87, 200 people died from an overdose last year, marking the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a period of 12 months.
Synthetic opioid-related deaths increased nearly 53% during the same period of 12 months ended 30 September 2020.
“Breakwater aims to reduce the amount of fentanyl that crosses the southwestern border, reduce crime and violence associated with drug trafficking, and ultimately save lives by reducing the demand for illicit fentanyl ”, said the DEA.
DEA data on fentanyl
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine.
Of the counterfeit pills tested in DEA laboratories, one in four pills made with fentanyl contained a potentially lethal dose.
One kilogram of fentanyl may contain 500, 000 potentially lethal doses. Last year, the eleven divisions that participated in Project Wave Breaker seized a combined total of 2, 316 kilograms of fentanyl (over 1 billion potentially lethal doses).
The seizure of pills containing fentanyl throughout of the southwest border increased more than 89% since January 2019 until December 2020.
Unless a medication is prescribed by a licensed medical professional and dispensed by a legitimate pharmacy, you cannot tell if it is fake or legitimate. And without lab testing, there is no way to know the amount of fentanyl in an individual pill or how much may have been added to another drug. This is especially dangerous due to the potency of fentanyl.