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Today's Interview: DEA's ‘Operation Last Mile’ takes on drug cartels and their U.S. partners in KY, TN, and WV

The DEA says its year-long "Operation Last Mile" investigation will save innumerable lives by taking massive amounts of fentanyl off the streets.
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Drug Enforcement Administration
The DEA says its year-long "Operation Last Mile" investigation will save innumerable lives by taking massive amounts of fentanyl off the streets.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration is announcing the results of a year-long investigation into the way foreign drug cartels get illegal and deadly drugs into the U.S. Tom Ivarie is an assistant special agent in charge of Louisville’s D-E-A field office, which is responsible for Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. He said they seized a lot in those three states:

“There was over 69 pounds of fentanyl powder seized in this initiative, over 15,000 fake pills received. And that really equates to 1.7 million deadly doses of fentanyl.”

Ivarie said Operation Last Mile will save innumerable lives.

“We can't say it enough that how deadly this poison is, and how these cartels are, are impacting our communities and touching, you know, local street gangs and other violent groups and organizations within our community to help spread this poison.”

Ivarie said the cartels use social media to sell fake pills that often contain deadly amounts of fentanyl – and other law enforcement agencies were key to the investigation.

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John McGary is a Lexington native and Navy veteran with three decades of radio, television and newspaper experience.
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