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Drug lab in Orange County busted with 300,000 fentanyl pills

Police in Southern California have uncovered a secret drug lab containing allegedly around 300,000 fentanyl tablets.

Buena Park police released photos showing multiple pill packages in various bags at the Orange County location. Additional drugs and drug manufacturing machinery were also seized and all hazardous materials were safely removed following the discovery on Wednesday.

A 26-year-old Buena Park resident was involved in the alleged lab in Fountain Valley, about 30 minutes away, police said.

The department did not confirm whether any arrests have been made, but said the investigation is ongoing. Police are asking witnesses to come forward with any information relevant to the investigation.

More Americans know someone who died of a drug overdose

More than 40% of American adults know someone who has died from an overdose, according to a survey released earlier this year.

According to the Rand Corporation, a nonprofit think tank, nearly a third of survey respondents said their lives had been affected by a drug overdose death, but little is known about the impact of these deaths on the extended family.

Fatal overdoses have been on the rise since 2000. At least 109,000 deaths were reported in the United States in 2022, and over 100,000 in 2021. Most overdoses were due to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

Preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that overdose deaths increased by about 2% through September 2023 compared to 2022.

Contributors: Eduardo Cuevas

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