ALBUQUERQUE – Authorities say fentanyl is the No. 1 drug driving crime and violence in Albuquerque.
Drug Enforcement Administration said agents seized 242 pounds of fentanyl in the past fiscal year in New Mexico.
That’s a 900% increase over the previous fiscal year and well over the amount captured around the state in the previous five fiscal years combined, according to DEA officials.
Authorities said fentanyl seizure amounts have surpassed heroin, which dropped to some of its lowest levels since 2016.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that despite the seizures, the amount of fentanyl that has slipped through the fingers of law enforcement has furthered an epidemic of overdoses in the New Mexico.
Local authorities tell the newspaper that fentanyl has overtaken local drug markets in places like Albuquerque, contributing to violent and property crimes committed by those who use it, deal it and steal it.
Albuquerque police said fentanyl is everywhere and – unlike other hard drugs – often peddled at the street-level by users.
Federal authorities reported seizing 22 pounds in the city in October. Last month, DEA agents seized 26 pounds of fentanyl powder from two passengers on separate Greyhound buses as they stopped in Albuquerque.
