The number of fentanyl-related prosecutions in Pinal County more than tripled between 2020 and 2023, making awareness of the dangers and prevalence of the drug as important as ever, said Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer.

“We mourn for the many families devastated by this dangerous drug,” Volkmer said. He urged families to have difficult conversations with children to discourage use of the deadly drug.

Volkmer cited county statistics that show 119 fentanyl-related prosecutions in 2020 compared to 377 prosecutions last year.

The totals could not be broken down per city in Pinal County, so it was unknown how many prosecutions were from the City of Maricopa. However, fentanyl-related arrests in Maricopa are anything but unusual.

Recent cases have included the Pinal County Regional SWAT team assisting Maricopa police detectives last month to arrest David Fryer, 61, and Jesi A. Garcia, 38, during a search warrant execution as part of a narcotics probe on the 20000 block of Taft Avenue.

Found in Fryer’s home during the organized drug house bust were 86 fentanyl pills, methamphetamine and other illegal drugs.

The Arizona Department of Health Services reports that about 2,000 people died of confirmed opioid overdoses each of the past four years in Arizona.

Communities across the country continue to see huge influxes of fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that is often mixed in deadly doses into other pills and substances, Volkmer said.

Volkmer with other law enforcement agencies nationwide marked today as National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.