Fentanyl floods central Iowa streets, prompting major law enforcement action
By Todd Magel
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Law enforcement agencies executed more than a dozen opioid search warrants in central Iowa on Wednesday, underscoring the region’s escalating fentanyl crisis.
Des Moines police began their narcotics investigation earlier this year after an opioid overdose death, which has now grown into a federal case.
“This stuff is poison,” said Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek.
Police say illegal opioids continue to infect communities across the country, including Iowa.
Their investigations led to 13 federal search warrants on Wednesday.
They posted photos of the early morning raids on social media, showing that most of the homes searched were in Des Moines, with two in Urbandale and Clive.
“If you’re thinking about coming into town and someone was poisoned in our neighborhoods, you should start looking over your shoulder because we’re not going to stand for it,” Parizek said.
“We’re tired of the overdoses, tired of the families being crushed. We’re going to do everything we can to get the guns, the drugs, and the people off the streets.”
New numbers from the Iowa Department of Public Safety are startling.
In 2023, the state crime lab identified 76,000 fentanyl tablets seized by law enforcement.
That number nearly doubled to 135,270 tablets seized in 2024.
“No, I’m not surprised. Fentanyl has been a growing problem for several years now,” said Marisa Mickunas, a mental health therapist at UnityPoint Health.
Mickunas, who works with opioid addicts at the UnityPoint Powell Clinic, says it will take more community awareness and medical treatments to reduce the fentanyl problem.
“Often people, they’re spending $200 to $300 a day on these pills. I’m not expecting that it’s going to get that much better soon,” Mickunas said.
Information on the names and charges in the fentanyl drug searches has not yet been released.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office could not comment on the pending case.
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