‘This is an epidemic’: Arkansas State Police push to get fentanyl off the streets

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas State Police officials say fentanyl is a dangerous and potent drug that is harming Arkansas communities, which is why they’re pushing to get it off the streets.

Staci James, executive director of Hope Movement Coalition, said the fentanyl crisis is close to her heart and she wants to make sure other people are aware of the danger.

“The reason I’m so passionate about getting this off the street is because fentanyl killed my son at 22 years old,” she said. “We are losing teenagers to fake fentanyl-pressed pills. Two families in the Hope Movement right now are going through losses. The parents of a 17-year-old and parents of a 14-year-old lost their child.”

The latest complete data from the CDC shows that in 2022 Arkansas had 617 overdose deaths.  Which is why James is thankful to see the push from Arkansas State Police to get the dangerous drug off the streets.

“That was not a small bust,” James said.

So far this year, Arkansas State Police said they have made around six fentanyl seizures, in different counties including Pope, Crawford and Sevier Counties.

The majority of the seizures happened on I-40 with fentanyl pills, including a traffic stop that led to the discovery of 250 grams of fentanyl pills. To put that in perspective, the DEA said that one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people.

“Fentanyl is a dangerous, potent drug that is harming Arkansas communities and killing people who are either intentionally or unknowingly ingesting it,” Col. Mike Hagar with ASP said. “It reaches across all demographics and socioeconomic classes.”

“This is not a moral issue, not a parent issue, this is a social crisis, and no one is safe,” James said.

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