Opioid overdose rates in Abilene have decreased significantly following a major operation targeting fentanyl traffickers. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Leigha Simonton, announced that after a federal grand jury indicted 12 individuals on September 11, 2024, there has been a notable decline in overdose incidents.
Data from the Abilene Police Department's OD MAP indicates that from January 1 to September 11, 2024, there were 41 overdoses in Abilene, nine of which were fatal. Following the arrests of the alleged traffickers, overdose numbers dropped to three by the end of the year, with no fatalities reported.
The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office noted an increase in street prices for fentanyl pills from approximately $8 per pill to between $20 and $30 per pill post-takedown. This price hike has made fentanyl less accessible to potential users.
“This is precisely why the U.S. Attorney’s Office does the work it does – and why I am proud to have led the Northern District of Texas for the past two years,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “To see our fentanyl prosecutions having tangible impacts on the lives of the people of Abilene is immensely gratifying. I want to laud the hard work of our local law enforcement partners, especially the Abilene Police Department and the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, for helping to make this happen.”
Currently, ten out of twelve defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing; two others await trial.
Multiple agencies are involved in combating fentanyl trafficking in North Texas, including local police departments and federal agencies like DEA and FBI. These organizations operate under programs such as North Texas HIDTA and OCDETF Program aimed at dismantling high-level criminal networks.
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) employ a collaborative approach involving various levels of law enforcement to target significant drug-related threats within the United States.