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KILLER FENTANYL: LAW ENFORCEMENT (Pt 2 of 5)
-- {USAGM}
May 7, 2023
[[The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says America’s leading cause of overdose deaths is synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl, which can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin. U.S. law enforcement says illicit fentanyl is cheaply made from chemicals mostly coming from China, trafficked through Mexico, and then smuggled into the United States. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya looks at fentanyl in Washington state with a series of stories that includes how U.S. law enforcement is responding.]]
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptKILLER FENTANYL: LAW ENFORCEMENT (Part 2 of 5)
HEADLINE: Fentanyl Presents Unique Challenges for US Law Enforcement
TEASER: Synthetic drug can be cheaply made with ingredients from China that come through Mexico, federal agents say
PUBLISHED AT: 05/07/2023 at 5:40 pm
BYLINE: Natasha Mozgovaya
WRITER:
DATELINE: Seattle, Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: Natasha Mozgovaya
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Mia Bush, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, DEA, AP
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO_X_
TRT: 2:19
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: This is the second in a five-part series on fentanyl to rest in HFR ahead of combined release.))
((INTRO))
[[The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says America’s leading cause of overdose deaths is synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl, which can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin. U.S. law enforcement says illicit fentanyl is cheaply made from chemicals mostly coming from China, trafficked through Mexico, and then smuggled into the United States. VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya looks at fentanyl in Washington state with a series of stories that includes how U.S. law enforcement is responding.]]
((NARRATOR))
Illegally modified automatic weapons, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and 27 kilograms of fentanyl – all seized from a Seattle apartment as part of a nationwide law enforcement operation against synthetic opioids.
Jacob Galvan, a special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Seattle, says fentanyl is deadly in especially small doses.
((Jacob Galvan, US Drug Enforcement Administration))
“That amount will fit on the tip of a pencil. And that's again, that's 2 milligrams and that's a lethal dose of fentanyl.”
((NARRATOR))
Homeland Security Investigations Seattle lead agent Robert Hammer says the drugs seized here came from Mexico through the Southwest state of Arizona.
((Robert Hammer, US Department of Homeland Security)) )
“A lot of the fentanyl-related substances -- the binding agents, the presses, the [unintelligible], the dyes -- we've seen a lot of those coming from China."
((NARRATOR))
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning says there is no illegal fentanyl trafficking between China and Mexico.
((Mao Ning, Chinese Foreign Ministry ((in Mandarin)) ))
“The two countries have smooth channels for anti-narcotic cooperation, and relevant departments in charge on both sides have maintained good communication. China has not received any notification from Mexico that it has seized controlled fentanyl precursors from China.”
((NARRATOR)) ((graphic))
The White House says it is building a global coalition to “prevent illicit drug manufacturing, detect emerging drug threats, disrupt trafficking, address illicit finance, and respond to public safety and public health impacts.”
((President Joe Biden))
“We're doubling down on our work to disrupt synthetic drugs, which have claimed too many American and Canadian lives. By bolstering our work together in the North American drug dialogue with Mexico and building on a new global coalition against synthetic opioids, we're working to get these killer drugs like fentanyl out of our communities."
((NARRATOR))
Galvan says some fake pills are made to look like their legitimate counterparts. Others are dyed in rainbow colors ((Mandatory CG: DEA)) to make them more attractive to younger customers reached on social media. ((end courtesy))
((Jacob Galvan, US Drug Enforcement Administration))
“They use emojis as different codes. You don't have to have a normal conversation with anybody. Your conversation ((Mandatory CG: DEA)) can just be a series of emojis of what you want, ((end courtesy)) how much it is, where to meet and that.”
((NARRATOR))
Galvan says drug cartels see no downside to selling fentanyl-laced pills that could kill their clients because the size of the market they can reach on social media is so great, it’s worth the risk.
((Natasha Mozgovaya, VOA News, Seattle, Washington))
((ON CAM TAG))
[[In part three of Killer Fentanyl, VOA looks at community efforts to tackle the twin challenges of fentanyl abuse and homelessness.]]
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Seattle, Washington)
Embargo DateMay 7, 2023 18:30 EDT
Byline
Natasha Mozgovaya, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
