Fentanyl continues to be a big topic at many community meetings across North Texas, including one in Farmers Branch on Wednesday.
The meeting was held at Farmers Branch City Hall, hosted by DEA Dallas. Guy Baker, an assistant special agent in charge with DEA Dallas, has been with the DEA for about 25 years. Baker said over the past few years, there has been an uptick in one particular area as far as the DEA is concerned.
“Last year, there were more Americans that died from fentanyl poisonings than any other controlled substance we’ve dealt with,” he said. “The threat is real. It’s an emerging threat.”
A big focus of the DEA lately has been targeting organizations responsible for fentanyl distribution, Baker said. It is one of the ways law enforcement has responded to the growing issue of fentanyl.
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“In 2021, 4 in 10 pills had a potential deadly amount of fentanyl. That changed in 2022. It’s now 6 in 10 pills that potentially have a deadly amount of fentanyl in that counterfeit pill,” he said. "Fentanyl is the biggest threat we’re dealing with as far as the DEA is concerned right now."
Baker added, fentanyl has only added to the ongoing opioid crisis. Cities like Fort Worth are around more than $2.7 million over the 18 years to help with abatement, according to Victor Turner. Turner is the director of Fort Worth Neighborhood Services, which is helping the city determine how the money will be spent.
Funds are coming from a $50 billion settlement in lawsuits against manufacturers and distributors of opioid painkillers. The city of Fort Worth agreed to join the settlement last year, Turner said.
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“We anticipate that our first responders will be heavily involved in these dollars, along with some healthcare providers in the community,” Turner said Wednesday. “There’s a long list of activities that you can use the dollars for, so we’ll be evaluating those and what’s most effective in Fort Worth. That may change from year to year.”
At a community meeting Wednesday, Baker said the DEA will continue to inform the public about fentanyl.
“We’ve identified the threat. We know what the threat is. We see the number of people that are being poisoned by this drug,” he said.
