Los Angeles police conducted a major drug bust this week, seizing enough fentanyl to kill all of the city's residents.
The bust occurred during a drug investigation near downtown Los Angeles that involved multiple divisions of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
Los Angeles Police Department arrested 28-year-old Jose Alberto Soto on suspicion of selling fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid.
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Approximately $4 million worth of fentanyl was seized by LAPD. (Los Angeles Police Department)
As a result of the investigation, police executed a search warrant in the 7500 block of Central Avenue in South Los Angeles, where officers recovered more than 50 pounds of powdered fentanyl, nearly 9 pounds of black tar heroin, and $14,500 in U.S. currency. I discovered it.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), this amount has a street value of approximately $4 million. Officials say 2mg is enough to be a potentially lethal dose. With that in mind, the amount of fentanyl seized this week is enough to potentially kill more than 11 million people, nearly three times the population of Los Angeles.
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Soto remains held without bail, according to online jail records. It is unclear whether he has retained a lawyer who can speak on his behalf.
Drug Enforcement Administration chemists test powder containing fentanyl seized at the DEA Northeast Regional Laboratory. (Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images)
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine. Although used for the legitimate purpose of helping trauma victims being treated in hospitals, illegal use has skyrocketed in the past decade.
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said there were about 75,000 fentanyl overdose deaths last year. More than 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
