PORTLAND, Ore. – Drug cartels are exploiting children to distribute fentanyl and other narcotics in Portland, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“We’ve seen kids 14, 15 years old on numerous occasions trying to sell drugs to our undercover agents and informants,” said David Reames, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Seattle Field Division, to FOX 12.
Reames said it’s often teenagers who are being trafficked into the drug trade, and that the issue is widespread throughout Portland.
The announcement came during a press conference outlining the results of a recent multi-agency fentanyl enforcement operation. The crackdown led to dozens of arrests and the seizure of drugs, weapons, and cash.
According to the DEA, Honduran drug traffickers working on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel have been funneling fentanyl into Portland. During the operation, authorities confiscated 44 pounds of fentanyl powder and more than 2,500 fentanyl pills, along with additional illicit substances.
DEA officials emphasized the deadly potency of fentanyl. According to the agency, just two milligrams of the drug can be deadly.
“The fentanyl seized by our team in this case could have yielded over 1.5 million lethal doses – enough to kill everyone in Portland twice,” said Reames.
