WASHINGTON - The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sent a letter on Thursday warning federal, state and local law enforcement partners of national spike in fentanyl overdose-related deaths.

DEA Administrator Anne Milgram says there have already been numerous overdoses resulting in the deaths of dozens of citizens.

"Drug traffickers are driving addiction, and increasing their profits by mixing fentanyl with other illicit drugs. Tragically, many overdose victims have no idea they are ingesting deadly fentanyl until it's too late," Milgram said.

Director of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, Larry McLaughlin described Fentanyl as "heroin's replacement" stating that it's cheaper to make and in turn, cheaper to make profits on.

McLaughlin tells 21 News that in addition to drug traffickers mixing fentanyl with other drugs, another major cause for fentanyl overdoses is coming back to it after relapsing.

McLaughlin says a lot of people are trying to get clean, but if they've been using half a gram to one gram per day, they'll immediately go back to that after relapse, but their tolerance will be lower which could result in an overdose.

When it comes to Fentanyl-related death numbers in the Mahoning Valley, McLaughlin tells us these deaths have fluctuated with Opioid-related deaths for years now, stating that the Valley has been through spikes in deaths for the past eight to 10 years now.

Data sent by the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force shows that local overdose deaths have increased during the pandemic years. The data is as follows:

- 2017: 107 deaths

- 2018: 109 deaths 

- 2019: 107 deaths

- 2020: 138 deaths

- 2021: 162 deaths

- 2022: 34 deaths so far

In the first three months of 2022 the DEA has seized nearly 2,000 pounds of fentanyl and one million fake prescription pills containing fentanyl.