OMAHA, Neb. — A recent report from the Omaha Division of the Drug Enforcement Agency announced an 83% increase in fentanyl seizures in five midwestern states, including a significant jump in North Dakota from 2022 to 2023.

Fentanyl pill seizures increased nearly 50% year to year in North Dakota, according to the report.

“We are certainly seeing things in Bismarck and Fargo. But we’re also seeing a lot of activity on the reservations and, obviously, up in Minot and other areas north and west,” DEA Public Information Officer Emily Murray said. “The general trend is that when pill numbers go up or powder numbers go up, the poisonings and overdoses will track with that trend.”

The DEA has two offices in North Dakota, located in Fargo and Bismarck.

Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. DEA laboratory testing in 2023 showed seven of 10 pills tested contained a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl. This is an increase from four of 10 pills in 2021 and six of 10 pills in 2022. A potentially deadly dose is considered just two milligrams of fentanyl.

“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Steven Bell said. “The DEA Omaha Division covers a vast expanse of land containing urban, suburban and rural communities. Sadly, none of these communities are exempt from the tragic consequences that can come from experimenting with or using fentanyl. This drug is potentially lethal in such a small amount that it can fit on the tip of a pencil. We’re seeing it in both pill and powder form all across our division.”

The report also said cocaine seizures were up in the region, particularly in Minnesota and the Dakotas.