Opioid used to tranquilize elephants seized in LA County DEA operation

More than 600,000 pills containing a powerful synthetic opioid used to tranquilize large animals were seized during a Drug Enforcement Administration operation in Los Angeles County in October. 

The operation was conducted by the DEA's Los Angeles Field Office in coordination with the LA County Sheriff's Department and the Vernon and Baldwin police departments, a news release from the DEA said. 

Agents discovered 628,000 pills containing carfentanil during the operation. The powerful synthetic opioid, which is said to be 100 times more potent than fentanyl, was originally developed for veterinary use to tranquilize large animals like elephants, the release said. They said that the majority of the pills were seized from one stash location. 

"This is a massive seizure, 628,000 carfentanil pills taken from a single drug trafficker," said a statement from Brian Clark, the special agent in charge of the DEA's Los Angeles Field Division. "Our agents, with vital backing from local partners, mitigated a catastrophic danger. The urgency of this matter can't be overstated, another stark reminder to those vulnerable to drug misuse. Know what you're taking, because one pill can kill."

One person, whom agents only identified as a suspected drug trafficker, was arrested during the operation. 

Carfentanil closely resembles other white powdery substances like cocaine and fentanyl, and comes in several forms, the DEA release said. There has been a recent increase in the carfentanil's presence in the illicit drug market, and it has been linked to "a number of overdose deaths in various parts of the country," according to the release. 

The narcotic has been detected in 37 different states and is linked to 238 overdose deaths from January to June 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.