The U.S. District Attorneys Office and local law enforcement come together for Fentanyl training

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Local law enforcement and the District Attorney’s office are teaming up to fight the Fentanyl crisis.

They’re doing it by hosting a two-day training session this week in Twin Falls.

This drug is responsible for nearly half of all deadly drug overdoses in Idaho.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, from October 2022 to September 2023, agents seized 27,000 pounds of Fentanyl.

Fentanyl has become a huge problem in the country and here in Idaho.

The U.S. District Attorney’s Office and Idaho State Police held a two-day training session to teach law enforcement how to handle these situations.

“The idea is to enhance law enforcement’s ability to understand the Fentanyl statutes that are available to them at both the federal and state level,” Josh Hurwit, U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho explained the training.

The District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies handled the first day, showing presentations to officers so they can have more knowledge about Fentanyl.

“A-Z of what Fentanyl is, how it’s manufactured, how it looks like, how we deal with it from a public standpoint, as well,” Hurwit said.

ISP directed the second day with training and learning on how to handle these situations in the real world.

“Our portion is relative to criminal interdiction and apprehending criminals on the streets that include Fentanyl,” Sgt. Chris Cottrell of ISP said.

ISP’s training focuses on certain signs that they might encounter when someone is in possession of an illegal substance.

The Magic Valley has not been untouched by the effects of this drug.

Josh Hurwit, talks about the cases of Fentanyl he’s seen in this area, “We’re seeing cases in my office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office involving tens of thousands of Fentanyl pills in the Magic Valley.”

ISP encourages people who have come across this drug to contact law enforcement.

“I would recommend they take their knowledge and provide it over to law enforcement so they can handle it properly, because it is a dangerous drug,” Sgt. Cottrell advised.