DEA Launches Fentanyl Free America Initiative to Combat the Synthetic Drug Crisis 

Listen to an interview with DEA Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie below.

OMAHA, Neb.,– The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is intensifying its fight against the deadly threat of synthetic opioids with the launch of Fentanyl Free America, a comprehensive enforcement initiative and public awareness campaign aimed at reducing the supply and demand for fentanyl.

Through intensified enforcement operations and heightened intelligence, DEA is applying unprecedented pressure on the global fentanyl supply chain, forcing narco-terrorists, like the Sinaloa and CJNG Cartels, to change business practices. These efforts have led to a decrease in both fentanyl powder purity and the number of fentanyl pills containing a potentially lethal dose.

As of December 1, DEA has seized more than 45 million fentanyl pills, and more than 9,320 pounds of fentanyl powder, removing an estimated 347 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl nationwide. Fentanyl seizures across the five-state DEA Omaha Field Division account for the removal of nearly seven million potentially deadly doses from communities across the Midwest. DEA intelligence indicates a shift in cartel operations, with increased trafficking of fentanyl powder and domestic production of fentanyl pills. The seizure of more than two dozen pill press machines in October, including two from Minnesota, further highlights this trend.

“Fentanyl Free America represents DEA’s unwavering commitment to save American lives and end the fentanyl crisis, we are making significant progress in this fight, and we must continue to intensify efforts to disrupt the fentanyl supply and reduce demand,” DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said. “DEA is striking harder and evolving faster to dismantle the foreign terrorists fueling this crisis, while empowering all our partners to join the fight to prevent fentanyl-related tragedies. Together, we can achieve a fentanyl free America and create a safer future for generations to come.”

The DEA Omaha Field Division was one of 23 domestic field divisions and seven foreign divisions that initiated Operation Fentanyl Free America in October. This targeted enforcement effort resulted in the seizure of nearly 25,000 fentanyl pills and 37 pounds of fentanyl powder across Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

"Countless families across the Midwest are entering a holiday season in which they face an empty chair at the dinner table, a space left vacant by a life lost to fentanyl,” DEA Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie said. “Working together with our law enforcement and community partners, we remain committed to combatting this scourge. Our work begins in the middle of America, but rest assured, this fight will land in the laps of those narco-terrorists inflicting terror and destruction from thousands of miles away.”

The threat of poly-drug organizations; cartels that traffic multiple drugs, became even more apparent during Operation Fentanyl Free America.  Aside from producing less potent fentanyl, cartels have increasingly diversified their operations in an attempt to minimize their risks and maximize profits. This was evident in October with the seizure of more than 340 pounds of methamphetamine and nearly 42 pounds of cocaine across the DEA Omaha Field Division.

DEA remains at the forefront of the fight to disrupt trafficking networks and strengthen the government’s response to this epidemic. Fentanyl Free America represents DEA’s heightened focus on enforcement, education, public awareness and strategic partnerships. The goal of the campaign is clear: eliminate the fentanyl supply fueling the nation’s deadliest drug crisis. Since 2021, synthetic opioids have claimed nearly 325,000 American lives.

The Fentanyl Free America campaign also emphasizes the importance of public engagement.  DEA encourages everyone from community leaders, clergy, educators, parents, physicians, pharmacists and law enforcement to take an active role in raising awareness by protecting others through education; preventing fentanyl poisonings by understanding the dangers; and supporting those impacted.  Free resources including posters, radio advertising, billboards, and social media resources are available at dea.gov/fentanylfree.

DEA’s efforts are part of a larger whole-of-government strategy to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and protect U.S. communities from fentanyl.