The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) claims to have seized 379 million potentially lethal fentanyl dosages, each containing only two milligrams.
According to the DEA, the extremely addictive chemical, which is 50 times more potent than heroin, is the deadliest drug threat confronting the United States.
According to the CIA, the majority of fentanyl is trafficked into the United States from Mexico.
The DEA claims it seized more than 10,000lb (4,500kg) of fentanyl, as well as over 50.6 million fentanyl tablets disguised as various prescription medications.
This is more than double what they took in 2021.
According to the government, the majority of the drugs were mass-produced at secret Mexican factories by the Sinaloa and Jalisco drug cartels, who use chemicals sourced from China.
A deadly dose of the medication is small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil.
Last year, over 100,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses, with fentanyl accounting for two-thirds of those deaths. According to the drug administration, the amount of fentanyl collected this year was enough to kill all 330 million Americans.
According to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, the DEA’s primary operational goal is to combat the two Mexican drug cartels, the Sinaloa and Jalisco (CJNG) Cartels, which are principally responsible for the fentanyl that is killing Americans today.
In addition to the fentanyl, the DEA recovered 131,000 pounds of methamphetamine, over 4,300 pounds of heroin, and over 444,000 pounds of cocaine.