An estimated 10 million fentanyl-laced pills were seized by the U.S. Department of Justice, which blamed Mexican drug cartels for their role in trafficking the pills, reports ABC News. Drug Enforcement Administration agents this year have conducted 389 investigations, including 35 cartel-linked investigations in 201 cities,, said Attorney General Merrick Garland, adding that, "We seized over 10 million fake pills and 82 pounds of fentanyl powder motor crews across all 50 states. That is enough to kill 36 million Americans." DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said fentanyl-laced pills are being disguised as regular drugs like OxyContin and Percocet.
Authorities are particularly concerned about "rainbow fentanyl" because it is "largely driven by marketing." Garland said that while the rainbow-colored pills look safe, they are just as dangerous as other forms of fentanyl. There have been a series of high-profile and major drug busts between May and this month. In July, the DEA seized approximately one million pills laced with fentanyl allegedly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel in what authorities say was the biggest bust for the drug in California history. “This massive seizure disrupted the flow of dangerous amounts of fentanyl into our streets and probably saved many lives,” said DEA agent Bill Bodner, at the time of the seizure.