Drug Enforcement Administration: ‘New record of fentanyl pills seized’ in Utah, ‘influx’ from Mexican cartels

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported a new record of 800,000 fentanyl pills seized in Utah in the past six months. These pills are “flowing in” from Mexican cartels, according to a statement the DEA shared via X on Sept. 9.

“A new record in Utah as @DEAROCKYMTNDiv seized nearly 800,000 fentanyl pills in just 6 months, surpassing last year’s total by 16.5%,” the Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters said. “These pills, flooding in from Mexican cartels, pose a deadly threat to our communities.”

According to a press release from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a record 774,000 fentanyl pills were seized from January 1 through June 30, 2024, surpassing the previous record by 16.5 percent. Jonathan Pullen, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division, said, “The volume of pills entering Utah is clearly concerning. But it also demonstrates that the DEA and our partner agencies continue to disrupt the Sinaloa and Jalisco drug cartels in Mexico.”

The DEA’s 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment names fentanyl as the deadliest prescription drug in U.S. history, killing 38,000 Americans in the first six months of 2023. The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are responsible for fentanyl in all 50 U.S. states, producing the drug in Mexico and smuggling it into the United States for profit.

Mexican cartels have spread their influence and activities globally, including drug trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking, according to Police1. Cartel members bribe officials and infiltrate law enforcement, allowing for long-term influence and control. The Sinaloa Cartel and Cártel Jalisco Nuevo Generación (CJNG) have established networks in the U.S. Investigations have uncovered money laundering and drug trafficking rings, demonstrating the cartels’ impact on U.S. communities.

According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), drug trafficking and human smuggling operations run by cartels generate nearly $1 billion per month. This money is used to expand operations across the southwest border into the United States.

According to its website, the DEA is a federal government agency created “to enforce the United States narcotics laws and regulations and to bring organizations and principal members of organizations engaged in the cultivation, production, or distribution of narcotic drugs entering or destined for illicit trafficking in the United States to justice under the criminal and civil justice systems of the United States or other competent jurisdiction; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs designed to reduce the availability of prohibited narcotic drugs in the domestic and international markets.”