OMAHA, Neb. – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will recognize National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Wednesday, April 29, as a show of support for the agency’s valued partners in law enforcement, public health and non-profit agencies.
Fentanyl-related deaths have decreased in the past several years, yet fentanyl remains the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18-45. Across the five state DEA Omaha Field Division, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) attributes more than 750 deaths to fentanyl in the 12 months leading up to November 2025, across Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota combined.
“Too many families have been devastated by a substance so small, it can fit on the tip of a pencil,” DEA Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie said. “National Fentanyl Awareness Day provides a time for communities to pause, reflect on the lives lost and recommit to educating friends and family on this threat impacting every corner of our country. From rural Midwestern towns to major metropolitan cities, lives have been lost to fentanyl. The DEA remains steadfast in its efforts to bring those pushing these poisons to justice.”
Six months ago, DEA intensified its fight against the deadly threat of synthetic opioids with the launch of its Fentanyl Free America initiative.
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