35 Pounds Of Fentanyl Seized In Alameda County

EAST BAY, CA — Enough fentanyl to kill the entire population of the Bay Area was recently seized in the East Bay, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office revealed in a social media post.

The 35 pounds of fentanyl, or 15.8 kilos, was recovered on March 10 following an investigation by the Alameda County Narcotics Task Force.

The task force is made up of multiple police departments, the California Highway Patrol, the sheriff's office, the district attorney's office, and the probation department.

The sheriff's office said the drug "was destined for the streets of the Bay Area where people are dying from overdoses, addiction, homelessness, violence and poverty."

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration website, "Illicit fentanyl, primarily manufactured in foreign clandestine labs and smuggled into the United States through Mexico, is being distributed across the country and sold on the illegal drug market. Fentanyl is being mixed in with other illicit drugs to increase the potency of the drug, sold as powders and nasal sprays, and increasingly pressed into pills made to look like legitimate prescription opioids. Because there is no official oversight or quality control, these counterfeit pills often contain lethal doses of fentanyl, with none of the promised drug."

Earlier this week, the San Francisco Police Department issued a warning to recreational drug users about cocaine being laced with fentanyl, without the user's knowledge.

The DEA notes that just two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage. Using that measurement, the 35 pounds would kill 7.9 million people. The most recent estimate of the population of the Bay Area is 7.7 million.

More notable crime and fire stories in the East Bay this week:

One Dead In Fremont Shooting

• The shooting happened Tuesday evening. Police made one arrest.

Person Killed On BART Tracks Wednesday Morning

• The morning commute was impacted as a station was closed and police investigated the case.

Alameda Police Stop ATM Theft, Make Arrest

• The building housing the ATM sustained significant damage.

Deputies Seize Gun, Arrest Man During San Leandro Traffic Stop

• The sheriff's office said the man's vehicle was double parked in an area known for robberies.

Fire Burns Outside Of San Lorenzo Business

• Firefighters doused the fire Sunday afternoon.

Oakland Police Receive $80K In Private Donations To Launch Patrol Drone Program

• Funds were donated by the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council and California Waste Solutions.