Crime & Justice

Nebraska Fentanyl Bust Confiscates Enough to Kill 26 Million

LETHAL

Record 118 pounds picked up, street value of almost $20 million.

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Brian Snyder/Reuters

Nebraska State Patrol seized 118 pounds of fentanyl, enough to kill 26 million people, from what was described as a suspicious looking semi-truck, authorities said at a press conference Thursday. The amount of fentanyl picked up made the bust one of the largest ever in the U.S., the Drug Enforcement Administration said. The truck was reported to be moving in the shoulder lane and troopers became suspicious. When they searched the truck, they found the drugs in a hidden compartment. At first, the troopers thought the majority of the drugs were cocaine, but found upon further testing that it was all fentanyl, and was valued at around $20 million. According to a report from JAMA, fentanyl-related deaths have more than tripled between 2010 and 2016.

Read it at Omaha World-Herald