SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Fentanyl powder seizures have increased 87% during the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period last year across the five-state DEA Omaha Field Division, which includes Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
At the same time, DEA agents have seized about 67,000 fentanyl pills so far this year, a decrease from the same period in 2025.
The numbers reflect a growing shift in the illicit drug market from counterfeit fentanyl pills to fentanyl powder.
Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum discussed the trend this week during the Emily’s Hope Overdose Awareness Candlelight Vigil, telling those gathered that officers are seeing more fentanyl powder enter the region.
The shift is part of a broader national trend that began in 2025. DEA offices in South Dakota reported a 43% increase in fentanyl powder seizures last year, while seizures of counterfeit fentanyl pills fell 41%.
Officials say drug cartels are increasingly turning to fentanyl powder because it is cheaper to produce and distribute.
“These numbers should further enforce the fact that fentanyl knows no boundaries,” said Dustin Gillespie, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Omaha Field Division. “Too often we think the Midwest is insulated from the effects of this poison impacting cities along the coasts. This couldn’t be further from the truth as cities from Mitchell to Rapid City have faced their own fight against a substance that continues to take lives and destroy families.”
The increase in fentanyl powder also creates additional risks for the public and first responders, who may encounter the substance without knowing what it is.
“It is a fine powder that could look like baking soda. It could look like flour,” Sgt. Trevor Tollman of the Rapid City Police Department told KOTA-TV. “There’s not something real distinct about it. Our advice is to not handle it if you think it is something suspicious.”
While overdose deaths initially surged after fentanyl entered the region through counterfeit “blue pills,” Tollman told KOTA that local deaths have slowed in recent months. He attributes the decline in part to the widespread availability and use of Narcan, an overdose-reversal medication.
Emily’s Hope has also expanded access to naloxone by installing free public naloxone distribution boxes at strategic locations across South Dakota, Iowa and Kansas.
