Fentanyl pill seizures by Arizona’s Department of Public Safety have gone up exponentially over the past several years.
The amount of fentanyl pills seizures went up from 89 pounds in 2018 to 2,647 pounds
in 2024.
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs says the drug busts have saved an incalculable number of lives and cited it as a reason to give DPS officers a 5% pay increase, which she included in her proposed state budget last month.
“In just a three-month period last year, DPS helped seize 6,500 pounds of illicit drugs. Whether it's traffic stops or drug busts, DPS has been laser focused on getting these drugs out of our communities,” Hobbs said.
DPS Director Jeffrey Glover says the amount of seizures for other drugs like crystal meth and cocaine hasn’t changed much, but fentanyl has spiked.
He said it could be a combination of more drugs coming in and DPS advancement in drug-detection.
“We have gotten so much better that we’re doing a better job of being able to go out there and look for some of the indicators as well as being able to get some of the pertinent information that’s needed to take some of the drugs off the street,” he said.
Glover added that cartels tend to diversify what they’re selling and look to other avenues once a particular pipeline gets cut off.
“You have to look at it from their perspective. They're running a business and so our job is to dismantle the business and so if we cut off one supply they’re going to put something else through,” he said.
