WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Friday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland held a summit with families who have lost loved ones to drug poisonings or overdoses.
The AG also talked about steps the country is taking to keep these deadly drugs off the streets. From small towns to large cities, the opioid crisis remains a top killer of Americans according to law enforcement.
“DEA lab testing found that seven out of every ten pills it seized contained enough fentanyl to kill someone,” said Garland.
While speaking to families impacted by the deadly drugs, Attorney General Garland says his office is focused on bringing bad actors to justice.
Just this year, the DEA seized more than 47 million fentanyl pills, many of them fake prescription pills.
“The department has zeroed in on the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels,” said Garland.
It’s not just the cartels who are being targeted.
“Just last week, the Justice Department indicted a China-based chemical company, its director and several of its senior officials,” said Garland.
While the Justice Department goes after those putting fentanyl on the street, on Capitol Hill both Democrats and Republicans say the federal government can do more.
“Mainly, the federal government can help by funding local initiatives that provide services to people who are trying to get out of the grip of addiction,” said Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.).
“Some of the numbers of fentanyl overdoses have gone down, but they’re still way too high for a population such as ours,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.).
Welch and Capito believe addressing the country’s opioid problem will be a top priority for the next Congress.Â
