Fentanyl, meth listed as top drug threats in Kansas by national law enforcement group

TOPEKA (KSNT) - A law enforcement organization responsible for monitoring drug trafficking activities in the Midwest has released a new report on drugs that pose the greatest danger to Kansans.

The Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), a program with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), listed fentanyl and methamphetamine as top drug threats for the Sunflower State. This comes from the Midwest HIDTA's Kansas Overdose Report for 2023. The report uses information gathered through surveys, monitoring drug trends and other sources over the past year.

The HIDTA's recent report names fentanyl as the "number one drug threat" in Kansas. This is the first time fentanyl has received such a rank in Kansas and it was due primarily to it being a large contributor to drug poisoning deaths and violent crime.

The HIDTA report goes on to say that fentanyl will most likely continue to pose the biggest threat to Kansas as the supply is expected to grow. Fentanyl is also expected to remain the biggest driver of drug poisoning deaths. Meanwhile, methamphetamine will continue to hold its position as a significant threat to Kansas due to its high levels of availability, demand, use and transportation through Kansas.

The HIDTA report included a heat map showing more than 11,000 suspected overdoses in Kansas between May 31, 2022 and May 31, 2023. Greater concentrations of suspected overdoses are marked yellow.

The purpose of the HIDTA is to reduce drug availability in critical and identified markets by creating and supporting intelligence-driven enforcement take forces aimed at eliminating or reducing domestic drug trafficking, according to the HIDTA's website. The HIDTA was created by Congress in 1988 as part of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act which provides help to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies working in areas where drug-trafficking operations are prevalent.

The following Kansas counties are listed as areas where drug trafficking is being monitored by the HIDTA: Barton, Cherokee, Crawford, Finney, Franklin, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth, Miami, Saline, Sedgwick, Seward, Shawnee and Wyandotte.

You can read through the full Midwest HIDTA Kansas Overdose Report for 2023 by checking out the document below: