DEA agents in Columbus say they seized enough fentanyl in 2025 to potentially kill more than two million people, as Franklin County reports a 25% drop in overdose deaths.
DEA Seizes Record Amounts of Fentanyl in Columbus as Overdose Deaths Decline
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration say they are intensifying efforts to remove fentanyl from the streets of Central Ohio and are seeing measurable results.
According to the DEA’s Columbus District Office, agents seized enough fentanyl in Columbus last year to potentially kill more than two million people.
“We are relentless right now,” said Brian Mulcahy, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Columbus office.
Mulcahy said that just this week, agents confiscated five ounces of fentanyl in the city an amount he said could have impacted hundreds of lives.
Mulcahy pointed to new data from the Franklin County Coroner’s Office showing overdose deaths declined by about 25% in 2025 compared to 2024.
The DEA is also tracking changes in the potency of counterfeit pills. Every seizure is sent to a lab for testing. In 2023, about seven in 10 pills tested contained a potentially fatal dose of fentanyl. Recent testing shows that number has dropped to roughly two in 10 pills.
Mulcahy said enforcement efforts are disrupting supply chains and increasing prices, which may be contributing to the shift.
“Those are all positive indicators. Still, too many lives are being lost,” he said.
He noted that synthetic drug overdoses remain one of the leading causes of death among Americans ages 18 to 45, surpassing car crashes and gun violence in recent years.
Nationally, the DEA reports overdose deaths have declined over the past three years, though officials stress continued vigilance is needed.
Follow Dalmar TV on Facebook for the Latest News
