Local efforts combat fentanyl crisis in Yuma County
KYMA Reporter Manoah Tuiasosopo spoke with local agencies on the current state of the fentanyl crisis in Yuma County, and the efforts they're making to battle it
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Fentanyl is the deadliest drug in Arizona, surpassing methamphetamine, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Fentanyl is an extremely powerful synthetic opioid and according to the DEA, is 50 times more potent than heroin.
Sergeant Edgar Guerra with the Yuma County Sheriff's Office said, "It's a very small quantity that will actually be a lethal dose, you're talking about 2 milligrams which is equivalent to about 2 grains of salt kind of roughly.”
Sergeant Guerra revealed the deadliest year we've had so far saying, "We peaked out in 2021, we actually had a total of 33 fentanyl-related deaths. Now if you combine the fentanyl with other opioids, it was a total of 60 deaths.”
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, the state saw 2,019 opioid-related deaths in 2021 and 1,927 in 2022.
But Sergeant Guerra said that although we're seeing fewer deaths, fentanyl is still a problem in our area.
"It's definitely been a trend that's been starting to go down over the last couple of years, not necessarily that the drug itself has gone down, seizures have actually gone up.”
The major driving factor in our fentanyl crisis is the proximity to the border.
"One of the things here locally that unfortunately is unique and gives people easy access is the border. So, people can easily walk across the border, drive across the border, and have access to these pills," explained Sergeant Guerra.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in Fiscal Year 2022, 14,104 pounds of fentanyl were seized along the Southwest Border which doubled in 2023 when CBP seized 26,718 pounds of fentanyl.
This fiscal year, they have already seized 10,881 pounds.
The Yuma County Anti-Drug Coalition said that one of the biggest weapons for fighting fentanyl is a drug called Naloxone, known better as Narcan.
Ryan Butcher with the Yuma County Anti-Drug Coalition said, "The more we can get Naloxone out there, the more that everybody has it, the more likely someone can step in and administer that if there is an overdose that happens.”
To learn where you can get free Narcan and learn more information on fentanyl awareness, visit here.
