According to authorities, a Cleveland FBI task force seized an estimated 88 pounds of suspected fentanyl and other drugs—enough to kill 20 million people.
The FBI Cleveland Cartel Gang Narcotics & Laundering Task Force seized 36 kilograms of suspected fentanyl and other drugs stemming from a series of search warrants executed last week in Cleveland and Painesville in Lake County. The task force confirmed additional kilos of fentanyl from this organization earlier in the investigation bringing the total to 40 kilos (88 pounds) seized. According to the FBI, the drugs have a street value of more than $5 million.
According to FBI Cleveland special agent-in-charge Gregory Nelsen, identifying, investigating, and apprehending drug traffickers and the networks in which they work are one of the highest priorities of the FBI.
“The sheer volume of drugs recovered during this seizure is astounding,” Nelson said in a statement.
The FBI reports that it recovered four firearms, including two assault rifles, during the arrest of two members of a drug trafficking organization with a base in Mexico. The press statement did not release the suspects’ names.
According to Lake County Sheriff Frank Leonbruno, it’s crucial for Lake County residents to understand where these drugs originate from.
“I believe it is critical for our Lake County residents to understand that these drugs are coming from the cartels that are pushing drugs across our southern border. These drugs are coming through Lake County and are being dispersed throughout northeast Ohio,” Leonbruno said.
Leonbruno said that his department helped the FBI with the drug seizures and warned residents about the lethal effects of narcotics in northeast Ohio and Lake County.
“Understand the drugs coming into our area are not prepared by doctors. They are packaged quickly. Some pills have a little fentanyl and others are purely fentanyl and will kill you. Using drugs today is like playing Russian roulette with your life,” Leonbruno said.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. In most adults, the DEA notes, a 2-3 milligram dose is fatal. Pharmacies also make the powerful drug for legal prescription use.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a report last year, saying that for the first time in modern history, over 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in a year. Fentanyl and other synthetic drugs caused approximately two-thirds of those deaths.
The Ohio Department of Health states that fentanyl was involved in 81 percent of overdose deaths in 2020, often in combination with other drugs. That percentage increased from 76 percent in 2019, 73 percent in 2018, and 71 percent in 2017.
The DEA states that drug cartels have expanded their inventory to sell fentanyl pills in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes to make the drugs more appealing to the user.
According to the United States Department of Justice, rainbow fentanyl was first reported to the DEA in February last year, and it has now been found in 21 states.
Colonel Charles A. Jones, Ohio State Highway Patrol superintendent, said that the success of this initiative is undoubtedly the result of the tireless efforts of everyone on the task force.
“Through collaborations such as this, we can collectively focus on our shared mission of making our communities safer,” Jones said.
Numerous northeast Ohio law-enforcement agencies assisted the FBI, including police from Cleveland, Bedford, Brooklyn, Independence, Moreland Hills, North Royalton, Painesville, Parma, Cleveland RTA, Shaker Heights, Solon, the State Highway Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office.
Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond, applauded the task force’s successful initiative in taking the deadly drugs off the street and, in turn, protecting Ohioans.
“I commend the efforts of the FBI Cleveland Cartel Gang Narcotics & Laundering Task Force for the stellar results of this successful initiative. Fentanyl is a poison affecting the lives of countless Ohioans and Americans. An investigation of this magnitude is a significant indicator of what is accomplished through strategic, partnered law enforcement initiatives,” Drummond said.
– – –
Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Drugs Seized by Cleveland Police” by Cleveland Police.
