Illicit Opioid Supply
Illicitly Manufactured Fentanyl (IMF)
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid typically used to treat patients with chronic severe pain or severe pain following surgery. Fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance that is similar to morphine, but about 100 times more potent.
Counterfeit prescription opioid pills have been found in all 50 states and are widely available in the US, often containing illicitly manufactured fentanyl in lethal amounts. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl, the small amount that fits on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially deadly dose. Individuals unaccustomed to using opioids can experience severe adverse events at even lower doses.
Image: 2 mg of fentanyl, a potentially lethal dose, on a pencil tip.
Seizures
Law enforcement in the US continues to seize substantial amounts of illicit fentanyl every year. The number of seizures containing fentanyl peaked in 2022-2023, then decreased. In 2025, there were 155,878 seizure incidents that were identified as fentanyl by forensic labs (Figure 1).
The total weight of fentanyl seizures peaked in 2023 at 29,170 kilograms (kg), and decreased to 23,253 kg in 2024 (Figure 2).
The Southwest Border was the main entry point for fentanyl entering the US, of which nearly a third (32%) entered into the US from the California-Mexico border (NDTA, 2025).
Profile of Seized Fentanyl
Fentanyl Tablets
Tablets seized by law enforcement in the US vary widely in the amount of fentanyl contained in them. In 2023, the average fentanyl tablet contained 2.3 milligrams (mg) of fentanyl, with a range of 0.1 to 7.0 mg per tablet (NDTA 2025) (Figure 3).
The percent of tablets tested containing at least 2 mg (lethal dose) has increased in recent years, from 10% in 2017 to 67% in 2023 (Figure 4).
In 2025, approximately 3 in 10 counterfeit pills tested at DEA labs contained a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl, down from 5 in 10 pills in 2022 (DEA 2026). While fentanyl purity declined, likely due to increasing difficulty in Mexican TCOs obtaining key precursors, street-level fentanyl may not necessarily be less dangerous. Drug dealers in the United States continue to adulterate fentanyl with various animal tranquilizers (such as xylazine), anesthetics (such as ketamine), and other synthetic opioids (such as nitazenes). With the increased mixing of fentanyl with other drugs, users and dealers often do not know the exact makeup of what they are consuming or selling (NDTA 2025).
Fentanyl Powder
The average purity of fentanyl found in powders seized increased every year from 2017 to 2023. In 2023, sampled powders from seizures throughout the US contained an average fentanyl purity level of 33.5%, ranging from 0.3% to 86.8% (DEA FPP) (Figure 5).
References
Figure 1. United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 2025 May. National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA) https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/508_5.23.2024%20NDTA-updated.pdf
United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 2026 January. Counterfeit Pills Fact Sheet. https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/OPCK-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Figures 2-4. United States Drug Enforcement Administration Fentanyl Special Testing and Research Laboratory Fentanyl Profiling Program (DEA FPP). 2022, August 22, DEA Fentanyl Profiling Program Report, CY2021. https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2022-08/FPP%20Report%20CY%202021_DEA.gov_.pdf.
United States Drug Enforcement Administration Fentanyl Special Testing and Research Laboratory Fentanyl Profiling Program (DEA FPP). 2025, September 22. Fentanyl Profiling Program Report, CY2023. https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2024-09/CY%202022%20FPP%20Report_PUBLIC_0.pdf.