Ongoing Investigation into Michigan’s Largest Drug Bust

As a child growing up in the 80s in Michigan, I never dreamed of stories like this becoming a reality.

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Sure, in Michigan we had our share of drug busts in the news, but they were almost always marijuana related. We would see the occasional 'uppers/downers' bust. And we would hear of incidents involving cocaine here and there. But we never saw anything like the bust that occurred in Oakland County, MI on the night of March 22nd which led to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)'s biggest drug bust in Michigan state history.

How Much Fentanyl Was Seized?

The DEA's Detroit office seized 20 kilograms of fentanyl, weighing in at 40 pounds. According to the DEA, two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a deadly dose. The 20 kilograms of fentanyl seized in the bust was enough to kill 10,000,000 people. To put this in perspective, this one stash could take out every single resident in Michigan.

Fentanyl, which is 50-100 times more potent than morphine, was responsible for 70,601 fatal overdoses in the U.S. in 2021 alone. That number is up 25% from 2020, as reported by USA Facts.

As reported by ClickOnDetroit, according to the DEA, a shipment was tracked on the west side of the state, believed to have been produced in Mexico, from the Grand Rapids area all the way to Metro Detroit.

Oakland County Sheriff Weighs In

Regarding fentanyl, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said in an interview with WJR that "there is no quality control, because cartels don't care." It's all about profit rather than the physical harm a lethal dose could potentially cause. "It could be cut numerous times, you just don't know what you're getting." And that's the danger.

Due to this being an ongoing investigation, this is all the information that has been released currently. But this story will be updated as more details come to light.