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Arizona Attorney General's Office points out spike in massive drug busts

Jan. - March 2022 drug seizures rival all of last year's
Arizona Attorney General's Office.jpg
Posted at 3:32 PM, May 04, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-04 18:42:50-04

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Arizona Attorney General's Office (AGO) is announcing a spike in massive drug seizures across the state.

Attorney General Mark Brnovich's office worked with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and Tempe Police Department to confirm this huge increase.

"Looking at the first quarter of 2022 -- January, February, and March -- we saw higher numbers of fentanyl pill and fentanyl powder and methamphetamine seizure than we had seen last year combined," shared Section Chief Counsel for the Drug and Racketeering Section of the AGO Theresa Rassas on Tuesday.

According to the AGO, law enforcement seized 845 pounds of methamphetamine and 780,000 fentanyl pills during one major investigation alone.

A task force responsible for the drug bust says it has already confiscated 1200 pounds of meth and 1,376,000 fentanyl pills this year.

The Drug and Racketeering Enforcement Section (DRG) of the AGO combats drug trafficking and money laundering across the state.

During fiscal year 2021, the DRG had 686 open cases and resolved 265 of them, charging 220 defendants with felony offenses.

AGO officials reveal total drug seizures brought in more than 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 2.2 million fentanyl pills.

RELATED: Tucson Police Department recovers drugs, cash

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Caleb Fernández is a digital content producer for KGUN 9. After earning his bachelor's degree from Penn State in Advertising/Public Relations, Caleb went to New York where he learned production assistance, photography and art direction. Share your story ideas and important issues with Caleb by emailing caleb.fernandez@kgun9.com or by connecting on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.