The war on fentanyl has hit a grim milestone, as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced a record-breaking number of the drug's seizures for the year 2023, with enough of the lethal powder and pills nabbed to kill every American, reported ABC15.

In a sweeping push against this opioid crisis, the DEA has laid it all on the line with numbers that stun: over 77 million fentanyl pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder were confiscated last year, according to ABC15, the agency's biggest haul in history the substances tied to an alarming number of overdose deaths nationwide. Arizona seems to be bearing the brunt of this battle, where more than half of those pills and a substantial portion of the powder were seized, making it a central hub in the trafficking network.

Cheri Oz of the DEA's Phoenix Field Division pointed a finger at the Sinaloa Cartel as the driving force behind the Arizona fentanyl influx, stating in an ABC15 interview, "The Sinaloa Cartel is our primary driver and the major threat we have here in Arizona."

But the agency isn't just stockpiling seized drugs, they're taking innovative steps to dismantle the vile trade networks, as seen in their latest strategy, which takes aim at two of the deadliest cartels, Sinaloa and Jalisco, bringing forth the first-ever charges against Chinese chemical suppliers and tracking distribution right down to our streets as detailed by a DEA press release.

With these efforts, the DEA's Phoenix Division alone has potentially saved over 30 million lives, according to their record keeping; yet the battle is far from won as the potency of fentanyl reaches new heights, seven out of ten pills now pack a potentially lethal dose, reports the DEA. The agency's relentless mission to save American lives continues as it innovates to keep pace with the evolving drug threat.