(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Federal drug agents in the Chicago-area have announced dozens of arrests in their latest sweep to get fentanyl off the streets and reduce the number of people buying fake prescription medications laced with it.
Luis Agostini of the Chicago field division of the Drug Enforcement Administration said Mexican drug cartels are using gangs here to sell fentanyl-laced substances.
Fentanyl has been responsible for most overdose deaths in Chicago, he said.
Many counterfeit drugs are bought through social media sites, and the DEA is urging social media platforms to do more to protect their users.
Since Aug. 3, DEA agents throughout Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin have arrested 62 people and seized 236 pounds of fentanyl, including 145,000 counterfeit pills, in addition to 29 guns and more than $647,000 in cash.
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