Photo Courtesy DPS: DPS detectives seized more than 180 pounds of fentanyl last week, most in counterfeit pill form. Pills are stuffed inside a tire in a smuggling attempt.
Staff Reports
PHOENIX – Detectives with the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) Drug Enforcement and Investigations (DEI) Bureau seized approximately 181.9 pounds of fentanyl pills last week in the Phoenix area.
One residence was searched in connection with the investigation, and two suspects were arrested and booked into jail on drug-related charges. The estimated street value of the fentanyl seized is roughly $1.5 million.
According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic (pain relief) and anesthetic. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic.
Fentanyl is commonly mixed in combination with heroin or other substances and has been identified in fake pills, mimicking pharmaceutical drugs such as oxycodone.
