“The most dangerous drug epidemic.” | DEA and local law enforcement cracking down on fentanyl drug dealers
By Cynthia Yip
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HONOLULU (KITV) — Recent drug busts related to fentanyl have some drug agents saying this is the most dangerous drug epidemic they have ever witnessed.
The DEA is working alongside other law enforcement agencies, including the Honolulu Police Department to catch these drug dealers who they say are using their cell phones along with drug emoji codes, to sell their fentanyl which the DEA says, is a poison.
Matt Allen, Deputy Special Agent with the DEA, says, “It’s absolutely terrifying to me. I’ve been in law enforcement for 25 years and this is the scariest thing I’ve encountered.”
“They make it by making it colorful, the fentanyl,” Gary Yabuta, Executive Director, Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking says. “They’re not trying to hide anything, get product across dark net social media. They sell on the dark net social media that’s where our children and young adults are viewing in their world globally. Many young people who take fentanyl don’t even know it, they think the rainbow colored pills are Percocet or some other pain pills.”
“We’ve uncovered dealers who have sold fentanyl that have caused death or great bodily harm — they know it and continue to sell same fentanyl.” says Allen. “Even after knowing someone else died from it. It’s a much more serious crime than just dealing drugs you’re doing this knowing you’re taking someone’s life.”
Yabuta says, 1 pill of fentanyl is 30 times stronger than heroin.
In Hawaii, 48 people have died from taking fentanyl since 2021.
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