Injectable liquid fentanyl is one of the newest threats America faces in its deadly drug crisis, according to new report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. In the National Drug Threat Assessment 2024, the DEA reveals new information about drug cartels, along with details on their ever-changing tactics.
“In 2023, law enforcement encountered illicit fentanyl contained in liquid for the first time,” the report reads on page 22.
The DEA says that the liquid contained fentanyl in very low concentrations, but it’s believed to be marketed to intravenous users. In July 2023, law enforcement seized 1.58 kilograms of liquid fentanyl in Kentucky. In October and November 2023, authorities confiscated a much larger amount, 118 gallons, of liquid injectable fentanyl in Arizona.
In addition to liquid fentanyl, the DEA is also seizing an increasing number of methamphetamine pills.
“The introduction by the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels of methamphetamine in pill form shows the determination of drug trafficking organizations to make methamphetamine appealing to non-traditional users, particularly to individuals who misuse prescription drugs but tend not to participate in other illicit drug use,” the DEA wrote.
The DEA says cartels are making the meth pills look like legitimate prescription pills, especially Adderall. They’re also often marketed through social media, instead of being sold on the streets.
“Particularly to individuals who misuse prescription drugs but tend not to participate in other illicit drug use,” the report reads.
The DEA warns that most people who ingest the pills don’t know they’re taking meth, increasing the risk of unintentional drug poisonings.
“Methamphetamine tablets are being trafficked in higher quantities per shipment, indicating it is no longer a novelty, but an established and accepted form of the drug,” the report reads.