You've probably noticed an increase in police raids, activity and arrests concerning Fentanyl, the often blue pill that's far more lethal and fatal than heroin or other types of drugs-especially narcotics.

Thursday Federal DEA Agents, including Agent Keith Weis, were in Kennewick to announce the Opioid Fentanyl Outreach Project.

It's a new emphasis program combining awareness with police and law enforcement action to attack the problem from both sides. Public awareness and use and law enforcement cracking down on manufacturers and sellers.

Officials say many people are not aware of just how deadly these pills can be. They make heroin look like candy when it comes to lethality of doses.

Many of the pills are smuggled in to the US from Mexico, and national news reports are also pointing at China as a growing source of the powerful narcotics. There have been several high profile arrests of dealers in the Mid-Columbia over the last two years. These were not small operations, and sometimes over 50,000 or more pills were confiscated, often along with tens of thousands of dollars and weapons.

During raids in the Tri-Cities in February, April and June alone, some 110,000 pills were confiscated, said Weis. Fentanyl is often so powerful that one pill can cause an overdose and kill someone.

It is also often cut or mixed with other narcotics. The program will begin to ramp up immediately, involving all area law enforcement agencies.

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