Enough fentanyl to kill 7 million people seized during Metro Detroit raids, DEA says
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Eight raids around Metro Detroit on Thursday morning netted thousands of doses of fentanyl that could kill millions, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
According to Andy Lawton, the acting special agent with the Detroit DEA office, the raids were part of a larger investigation that included a previous large drug seizure.
The backstory:
Lawton said DEA agents and local law enforcement executed the search warrants early Thursday. He did not specify the locations of the raids, but a DEA official previously said that some of the searches took place around Detroit, including one in the area of McNichols and Livernois, and an apartment near the Detroit River. At least one raid was also conducted in Redford.
During those searches, Lawton said authorities seized around 14 kilograms of fentanyl and more than $200,000 in cash.
"That’s literally tens of thousands of dosage units," Lawton said. "With the dosage units, that could be an excess of millions of overdose deaths that were saved today from that."
According to the DEA, 14 kilos of fentanyl has the potential to kill 7 million people.
Lawton went on to discuss how people selling these drugs do not care about the people buying it, and don't care if they kill people in the process.
"They’re in it for the money, and unfortunately, as a result of that, people die," Lawton said.
Four people were taken into custody in connection to the raids, and more arrests are expected.
FOX 2 did obtain video and photos of federal agents at home in Detroit's University District.
The DEA did confirm that this location that was part of the operation.
The other locations where the money and fentanyl were connected to, and seized from, are not known.
House in Detroit's University District part of DEA fentanyl bust
One of the location of a massive fentanyl and cash bust by the DEA included a home in the University District.
Dig deeper:
Thursday's raids come on the heels of a previous bust that netted fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. According to Lawton, that related bust happened when authorities pulled over a semi-truck carrying the drugs.
"Prior to this, we also had a significant seizure involving 48 kilos of methamphetamine, an additional 5 kilos of fentanyl, and an additional 47 kilograms of cocaine," he said.
Lawton said the fentanyl is making its way to Michigan from Mexico.
The Source: This information is from Andy Lawton, the acting special agent with the Detroit DEA office.