The fentanyl crisis is the worst drug threat the special agent in charge of the Seattle DEA Office has ever seen, and the rate of deaths caused by the drug is increasing.
FENTANYL IN WASHINGTON AND ACROSS U.S.
KIRO 7 spoke with David Reames, special agent in charge of the Seattle Field Division for the Drug Enforcement Administration, to learn more about the deadly drug and how it’s affecting families across Western Washington, including teenagers.
“This is far and away the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my 26 years as a DEA agent,” he said. “Nothing else is even close to as bad as the fentanyl crisis. Fentanyl for the DEA is our top priority.”
Reames said the number of fentanyl pills seized in Washington by the DEA in 2023 is nearly four times the amount the agency had seized in 2021.
- 2023: 3,604,408 fentanyl pills seized.
- 2022: 1,942,514 fentanyl pills seized.
- 2021: 917,383 fentanyl pills seized.
Washington ranks third across the United States regarding the number of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA, right behind Arizona and California, confirmed the agency.