The DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) has released it's 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment, and the Pacific Northwest made one of the notable portions of the report.

In general, it shows narcotics such as Fentanyl, Oxycodone, and other narcotics are vastly outpacing the traditional heroin, cocaine and other drugs in terms of growth.

In particular, the DEA says about the Pacific Northwest:

"The Pacific Northwest of the United States is under siege by the Mexican based Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) cartel who is flooding the region with clandestine produced synthetic opioids in the form of prescriptions pills.  This transnational criminal organization (TCO) is taking advantage of the readily available and extremely dangerous, in fact lethal, synesthetic opioid; Fentanyl. These transnational criminal organizations, specifically CJNG are mixing illegally and clandestinely made fentanyl into most illicit narcotics, to include cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and pills, resulting in a significant increase in non-fatal and fatal overdose deaths. "

DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino ovesees the Seattle Field Office, and says the Pacific Northwest (including WA, OR, Idaho, and Alaska) are focused primarily on the opiod threat, as it seems to be outpacing the traditional drugs. He says Fentanyl is emerging as the biggest new and fastest growing problem.

To see the DEA report for yourself, click on the button below.

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