Standing alongside various law enforcement officials, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that as of the beginning of September, the state had seized over 50 million doses of fentanyl.
“With each passing year, fentanyl continues to be pervasive in opioid seizures,” Sunday said during a press conference in Philadelphia on Wednesday. “And in 2025, we have reached a high watermark with regard to the work we’ve done.”
For perspective, Pennsylvania seized 50 million doses during all of 2024.
Sunday credited the collaboration of his office with county district attorneys and law enforcement departments, coupled with federal partners, for the success.
“Any one of those 50 million doses could have killed someone,” Sunday said.
“I’ve been at this for 39 years, this is the best coordination and collaboration I’ve seen in a long, long time,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel.
Although just over half of the fentanyl confiscated in Pennsylvania so far was from Philadelphia and its collar counties, Bethel emphasized that it is not a neighborhood problem specific to areas like Kensington or the city.
“This is a commonwealth problem. It’s an American problem,” Bethel said. “Fentanyl does not care about the borders. It doesn’t care about what zip code you come from. It doesn’t care what politics you’re involved in, it is ending lives, and we’re seeing that on a daily basis.”
Sunday, holding up a small packet, explained that two milligrams is all it takes for a potential lethal dose of fentanyl.
“This is all it takes to end a life, to end the hopes and dreams of a human being, to absolutely devastate a family and circle of friends, causing lifelong pain and suffering,” Sunday said.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said his brother died at the age of 50 due to a drug overdose.
“The fentanyl crisis in this country is literally the worst narcotics epidemic this country has ever faced, upwards of 70,000 people die every single year because of fentanyl,” Stollsteimer said.
“This is such a powerful narcotic, it cannot be in the streets anymore,” he added.
Bethel detailed what makes fentanyl different from heroin, explaining it was also a powder. Heroin spoils, he said, but the powder for fentanyl does not and it can be mixed with other narcotics.
“So easy to make, so easy to move, so many ways to move it,” Bethel said. “It is probably one of the greatest challenges we’ve seen in my lifetime, as it relates to fentanyl, what it can do and how it’s being used and how it’s being moved through.”
Sunday also said the heroin seized by law enforcement isn’t always in small packets, but at times it’s packaged in bulk and oftentimes includes fentanyl pills, which are disguised to look similar to other prescriptions. The state has seized more than 76,000 fentanyl pills so far this year, he said.
Fentanyl has replaced heroin as the opioid most commonly found in Pennsylvania.
“And it’s not even close,” Sunday said.
He also described the flow of fentanyl coming into the commonwealth as “non-stop” due to how easy it is to traffic and transport. When responding to a reporter’s question, Sunday said it’s about $10 a dose.
Last week, a drug bust in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia made national headlines after 33 members of a drug trafficking organization were charged in a 41-count indictment.
Treatment for those affected by drug addiction, was also highlighted as a key in addressing the issue.
Although touting the milestone reached so far in 2025, various officials on Wednesday also offered warnings to those who continue to traffick fentanyl.
“I think it’s been stated very clearly here…the pressure is going to continue to increase,” Bethel said. “We will not stop. As the Attorney General said, your time will come, and we are going to work collaboratively to do that.”
“All of us up here either know a friend or a family member who has been impacted by the powerful and addictive nature of opioids and fentanyl,” Abington Police Chief Patrick Molloy said. “We also know that we cannot arrest our way out of this crisis.”
“However, by aggressively prosecuting these bad guys and providing resources for people to get help, there’s no doubt that we will continue to keep our foot on the gas and continue to save lives in our communities,” Molloy added.
