The sentencing of Raul Morales, a 42-year-old man from El Paso, Texas, to ten years in prison for trafficking over 29 kilograms of fentanyl (14.5M Fatal Doses) and xylazine, emphasizes the persistent struggle against the opioid crisis in the United States. Morales, who was stopped by the Illinois State Police while driving northbound on Interstate 55 in Sangamon County, Illinois, was found with substances containing fentanyl and xylazine packaged in 30 separate bundles and hidden in one of the vehicles he was hauling on a trailer, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The case against Morales is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime, gun violence, and, in this instance, drug trafficking.
The Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy on May 26, 2021, strengthening PSN by focusing on trust-building in communities, supporting community-based organizations working on violence prevention, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
