North Texas authorities seize 15,000 fentanyl pills, weapons in drug bust that resulted in 11 arrests

Law enforcement agencies worked together to carry out a drug bust this week that resulted in the seizure of 15,000 fentanyl pills, 11 weapons, and saw 11 suspects arrested, two of whom have been charged with selling fentanyl that led to a death.

The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department worked in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety and neighboring police departments to arrest 11 suspects in relation to the massive amount of fentanyl seized. The authorities coordinated with each other to serve federal search warrants in the area that led to the bust. The names of the 11 suspects have not yet been released. 

The North Texas area, along with much of the country, is battling an opioid epidemic and local authorities have been hard at work trying to combat the problem.

Fentanyl, a growing concern across the United States, is a synthetic drug the Drug Enforcement Agency says is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. A small amount of fentanyl can result in a fatal overdose. Fentanyl is often used to lace other drugs to make them seem stronger. Many drug users have unwittingly ingested fentanyl thinking they were taking different drugs.

In late 2021, the DEA launched a nationwide effort to curb the distribution and use of fentanyl. In a September press release, the agency announced they had seized massive amounts of the drug.

“Over the past two months, working in concert with federal, state and local law enforcement partners, DEA seized 1.8 million fentanyl-laced fake pills and arrested 810 drug traffickers in cities, suburbs and rural communities spanning the United States,” the DEA wrote. “The amount of deadly fentanyl-laced fake pills seized by DEA since Aug. 3 is enough to kill more than 700,000 Americans.”