WASHINGTON – New York City authorities on Tuesday announced the seizure of $30 million worth of narcotics, including a record 140 pounds of fentanyl, in two separate investigations that resulted in charges against four New York residents.
In addition to 32 million lethal doses of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin, officials captured significant amounts of heroin and cocaine, according to NYC’s Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor. The seizures are a significant victory for authorities combating New York City’s skyrocketing overdose rate. According to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, fentanyl accounted for an all-time-high 1,374 deaths in 2016, a 46 percent increase from 2015.
NYC’s Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor collaborated with the DEA’s New Jersey Division and the NYPD’s Queens Narcotics Major Case Squad on the investigations. DEA agents and NYPD detectives captured more than 210 pounds of narcotics at a Queens apartment on Aug. 1, according to authorities, and just over a month later, another 55 pounds of narcotics were seized from a vehicle near Yankee Stadium on Sept. 5. – READ MORE