RIVERSIDE – As part of an on-going investigation, on the evening of Feb. 4, 2021, the Riverside County Gang Impact Team (GIT), which is supervised by the DA’s Bureau of Investigation, seized two kilograms of powdered fentanyl in the downtown Riverside area.

 

Fentanyl is an extremely dangerous and potent manmade opioid that is very lethal and is on our streets. It is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.

 

It only takes about two milligrams of fentanyl to potentially be lethal for most people. For perspective of how small that amount is, it takes 5,000 milligrams to make one teaspoon.

 

In this case, GIT seized two million milligrams of fentanyl, or 1 million potentially lethal doses. The fentanyl seized has a street value of about $200,000.

 

“Taking this amount of fentanyl off of the street has undoubtedly saved lives,” said DA Chief of Investigators Joe DelGiudice. “It is a drug like nothing I have seen in my 28 years in law enforcement. It is deadly.”

 

Often, fentanyl suppliers will emboss their product with some sort of identifiable logo. In this case, the supplier used logos including one associated with the New York Yankees.

 

No further information will be available about this case at this time as this is an on-going, active investigation.

 

Law enforcement agencies have seen a tremendous increase in fatal overdoses of fentanyl. The District Attorney’s Office, the Gang Impact Team, and all local law enforcement agencies have made investigations, seizures, arrests, and prosecutions of fentanyl cases a major priority due to the significant risk to public safety.

 

The Gang Impact Team is staffed by investigators and agents from the DA’s Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Marshal's Service, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations Special Services Unit, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, and detectives from the Banning, Beaumont, Cathedral City, Corona, Desert Hot Springs, Hemet, Palm Springs, and Riverside police departments.

 

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