The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has accomplished one of the largest carfentanil seizures in US history.
According to a release issued Monday, the DCSO, in collaboration with the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), became aware of an attempt to transport carfentanil analogue pills into the Omaha metro.
According to the statement, the probe has expanded to involve several other federal and state entities.
Since the start of the inquiry in November, more than 30 pounds of carfentanil, or around 150,000 tablets, have been seized.
Aaron Hanson, the Douglas County Sheriff, explained to First Alert 6 how the tablets mimic prescription medications.
“Well, the most insidious thing about fentanyl and carfentanil is that the cartels press it into facsimile pills to make it look like prescription medication,” according to Sheriff Hanson.
“Even if 1% of those 150,000 pills are fatal, that could’ve meant 1,500 people in Douglas County and in this surrounding area dying of a fentanyl overdose.”
The bust recovered pills that looked like prescription oxycodone.
They seized 24 pounds of carfentanil in a single seizure. That seizure was among the greatest in U.S. history.
Jared Dingwell, the Men’s Three-Quarter House supervisor, stated that these tablets have hit the streets in the metro.
“I have several residents that are familiar with it. It has been around for a while. “It’s not new,” Dingwell explained.
There are options available for individuals who are struggling with addiction or know someone who is.
“There’s hope. Anyone can overcome their addiction. At one point in my life, I thought there was no hope for me, that I was going to die from addiction, but that changed,” Dingwell explained.
Sheriff Hanson published a statement describing the operation alongside the release.
We need to keep pushing public education and awareness about this dangerous drug. People are losing their sons and daughters to drug overdoses on a near weekly basis in the Douglas County area. Carfentanil can come in many forms and can be eaten, drank, breathed in, or even absorbed through your skin. I am proud of DCSO’s professional staff and our partnership with USPIS as well as our other federal, state, and local partners who work so hard for public safety to keep dangerous drugs out of Douglas County. This is 150,000 potentially lethal carfentanil pills that did not land in the hands of the citizens of Douglas County.