Fairfax County police seize over 8,800 grams of fentanyl in 2023

Andie Vigliotti
·1 min read
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FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) — Fairfax County said that police recovered over 8,800 grams of fentanyl across the county in 2023, as the drug continues to be the number one cause of opioid-related deaths nationwide.

The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) said that its Narcotics Unit seized around 10 kilograms of illegal substances in total in 2023. It also seized $1 million in cash and 29 firearms.

“We filed 213 charges, executed 157 search warrants, and made 82 arrests, demonstrating our commitment to combatting drug trafficking and enhancing community safety,” FCPD said in a news release.

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In a report published last year, the Virginia Department of Health stated that opioid deaths, especially fentanyl, have been the driving force behind the large increases in fatal overdoses for over a decade.

And the numbers have only been rising. From 2022 to 2023, the number of non-fatal overdoses increased by more than 30%.

In 2022, 98% of opioid deaths in Fairfax County involved fentanyl.

Fairfax County officials say fentanyl is often disguised as “normal” pills and is undetectable by sight, smell, or taste- making the drug even more deadly to children and the cause of the most unintentional deaths across the state.

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