Seattle Police announce recent wave of fentanyl, meth, weapons arrests
Seattle detectives seize over 400,000 fentanyl pills in Bellevue, including handguns and hundreds of pills of illegal drugs. Photo courtesy: Seattle Police Department
SEATTLE - Seattle Police held a press conference Wednesday on a recent slew of arrests involving fentanyl, methamphetamine and guns.
Western Washington has seen a troubling uptick in drug crimes in recent years. In September, King County confirmed 217 fentanyl overdoses in 2021, up from a then record-setting 172 in 2020. The spike in overdoses mirrored others across the country, and prompted the Drug Enforcement Administration to issue a public safety alert.
RELATED: DEA issues safety alert for 'alarming increase' in fentanyl, meth-laced pills across the U.S.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Western Washington also announced in late September a 275% increase in fentanyl arrests between 2020 and 2021. This included 16 arrests in a multi-state drug distribution ring, where agents seized more than 100,000 fentanyl pills, more than 150 pounds of methamphetamine and close to two-dozen guns. Arrests were made in New York, California, and Washington cities like Kent, Bremerton, Belfair, Spanaway, Tacoma and Port Orchard.
KEEP READING: King County Councilmember looks to form fentanyl task force amid a rise in deaths, overdoses
In light of similar drug arrests in Seattle, SPD is holding a press conference with the DEA and Homeland Security Investigations. Officials say they will speak on recent arrests and warrant services.
RELATED: King County seeing record number of fentanyl deaths this year
READ MORE: 16 arrested in multi-state drug ring; officers seize guns, drugs and 100,000 fentanyl pills
Get breaking news alerts in the FREE FOX 13 Seattle app. Download for Apple iOS or Android.
Stay connected with FOX 13 News on all platforms:
DOWNLOAD: FOX 13 News and Weather Apps
WATCH: FOX 13 News Live
SUBSCRIBE: FOX 13 on YouTube
DAILY BRIEF: Sign Up For Our Newsletter
FOLLOW: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram