According to Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley of the New Orleans Field Division, which oversees drug investigations in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel are the main drivers of the drug overdose epidemic.
Byerley stated, "The Cartels are using these interstates to get their product to local distributors in the New Orleans metro area as well as other areas throughout the south and the continental U.S."
Despite being nearly 700 miles away from the Mexico border, the greater New Orleans area serves as a gateway for drugs to be distributed to other states due to its proximity to major drug trafficking routes such as Interstates 10, 55, 30, 40, and 65.
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In a recent year-long investigation called Operation Last Mile, the New Orleans Field Division seized over 147,000 fentanyl pills and 63 pounds of fentanyl powder.
Byerley emphasized the significance of this seizure, stating, "That's enough to take out the metro New Orleans area. We went after what we call 'the last mile,' that being from the cartel to the local distributor."
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Nationwide, the DEA arrested 3,337 drug distributors and dealers operating in local communities and seized nearly 44 million fentanyl pills and over 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder. However, despite these successful busts and arrests, millions of drugs containing lethal doses of fentanyl continue to make their way into various U.S. cities.
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Dr. Charles Preston, the coroner in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, witnesses firsthand the devastating consequences when these drugs make it past the "last mile." He stated, "If you'd like to walk back to the morgue, I can show you the results. In my opinion, until there is some securing of the southern border, that pipeline is going to continue to come into the United States."
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As of May 12, fentanyl was involved in 32 out of the 48 drug overdoses in St. Tammany Parish this year. In 2022, fentanyl was present in 91 out of the 127 overdoses, accounting for nearly 72% of cases. Dr. Preston expressed concern about the emergence of "fentanyl cousins," variations of fentanyl that are more potent and deadly. Some of these variations go undetected because they do not show up on routine lab tests.
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Keeping up with the evolving drugs is a significant challenge, according to Dr. Preston. He described the approach of his office as treating the situation as a medical catastrophe and closely monitoring trends.
Another class of drugs that can go undetected through standard testing are nitazenes, also known as "ISO," a new group of powerful, illicit synthetic opioids that were never approved for medical use.
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Dr. Preston warned that the future looks increasingly grim as amateur chemists driven by profit motives produce more powerful and cheaper drugs. To combat this, the St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office is a member of the Regional Organized Crime Information Center, which allows Dr. Preston to alert local law enforcement about the drugs he encounters. This information sharing helps law enforcement agencies track shipments and intervene.
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While interstates serve as one route of transportation for the Mexican Cartels, social media has also become a "super highway" for the movement of drugs.
Through Operation Last Mile, the DEA New Orleans Field Division was able to trace drug deals on 45 different social media platforms. Byerley highlighted the impact of social media, stating, "Anyone with access to social media can be a victim of the Mexican Cartel. It has totally changed the game as far as how these narcotics traffickers do business.
Fentanyl is lethal, but the cartels don't care because they know there are another 302 million people out on social media."
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