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Maricopa County Attorney Mitchell tries to get a handle on Valley's fentanyl crisis

Fentanyl continues to be a major problem, both here in Arizona and across the country. The federal Homeland Security Department has launched a new program aimed at stopping the synthetic opioid from being smuggled into the country.

The agency says in its first week, Operation Blue Lotus had stopped more than 900 pounds of fentanyl from entering the U.S.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office says since 2015, the county has seen a 5,000% increase in the number of deaths related to fentanyl.

Last week, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell and other Valley officials held a public forum to talk to — and hear from — the community about this. The Show talked with Mitchell earlier to discuss the crisis.

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Mark Brodie is a co-host of The Show, KJZZ’s locally produced news magazine. Since starting at KJZZ in 2002, Brodie has been a host, reporter and producer, including several years covering the Arizona Legislature, based at the Capitol.