Are we losing the battle with Fentynal?

0:00 Speaker 1 With us today this Sunday morning, is Frank Tarantino, the third and he’s a Special Agent in charge of Drug Enforcement Administration in the New York Division. Well, Frank Tarantino, are we winning or losing the battle with fetanoil? I mean, we hear it all around town, all around the country, all around the world.

0:23 Speaker 2 So good morning, John. I would just tell you that we’re having wins every day in this fight to save lives and to stop the full fentinel. We’ve had a number of increasingly successful operations. The first thing that American people need to know is that we’ve mapped this threat, so we know who the enemy is now. And now

0:44 that we know the enemy, which is Mexico and China, and we understand what the cartels are doing, we have launched a strategic approach to essentially take out the two cartels. If you go back in April, we announced a major indictment of twenty eight members of the Cineloa cartel taking out the Chipitos. Then in June we extradited a video

1:06 one of the sons of El Chapo, and then in September we had a massive operation and we announced the indictment of four Chinese companies in eight Chinese nationals, again targeting Mexico and China. So we’re having a significant amount of success. Also in the New York region. You’ve probably noticed in the Bronx, we’ve had a number of successful operations. Unfortunately,

1:30 the death of the young child at the daycare was widely publicized. It should never happen, but we found justice in we were able to successfully locate the perpetrators of that crime, and we’re going to continue to pursue all those that were responsible for that fatality. We’ve had a number of successful operations in the Bronx as of late,

1:56 one in a pizza parlor, another in a Heroin sentenol mill. So we’re going to continue to put the pressure on the cartels and the organizations that are causing the most harm in New York City. And it’s a relentless fight that we’re involved in.

2:10 Speaker 1 And now, how well are you working with the NYPD in New York? Now, I mean with all the laws that they I mean that tied up with problems with the local DA’s, the state das. Is that interfering what you’ll work at all?

2:26 Speaker 2 Absolutely not, John, matter of fact, you know our history, our rich history goes back fifty years with our partnership with NYPD, the oldest task force in the country is right here in the New York Division with NYPD, the State Police, and PA. A lot of the investigations that I just mentioned were a large part through the partnership

2:46 with those three agencies. So we’re not affected necessarily by any of that that you mentioned. We continue this battle, we continue to make the cases that are having an impact. What I would say is that interestingly, we’re working hard to get through education, prevention and awareness, the data out to the citizens about the harm. But also interestingly, we’re

3:13 using these operations as another method and means to get the attention out in the public eye. And as you have seen, a lot of these operations have been in the media or on social media, and that has a nice impact and gives us the reach that we want to have in the community so that they understand the threat.

3:35 So we really appreciate that and we thank you for having us on because really it’s about educating people.

3:41 Speaker 1 Now, do you have a hotline or if somebody sees something coming down, what’s the best way to go to their website and through a hotline or a telephone. Well, what’s the best way for people to let you know what’s going on?

4:00 Speaker 2 So, John, we have a DEA dot gov site that has a tip line on it, So we would tell people to go to DEA dot gov and then there’s there’s a link for the tips, but they also go to da dot gov backslash one pill so that they can go and download some of the publications and educational

4:18 material that parents, educators, and caregivers would need to help the most vulnerable identify and understand the threat that they’re up against.

4:28 Speaker 1 The problem here in New York is you feel good and it’s getting better and you have better control over it.

4:37 Speaker 2 John, It is getting better. I mean it may not seem that way with all of the attention in the media with our operations, but I will tell you that the seizures are going up. We’re having a greater impact in the dismantling of the cartels. Other community activation activists or other community organizations are getting involved in this fight

4:59 with We have a stronger coalition within the community and within these these citywide groups. We have partnerships that we never had before. We just had our second annual Family Summit at John Jay College where we had a number of families, over eighty families participate, and so we’re building out our network so that we can expand our reach

5:24 of education, prevention and awareness in the community. And John, you know every day our agents, our analysts, are diverged investigators, our task force officers are on the front lines every day saving lives.

5:39 Speaker 1 Well, that is good years to hear. I mean, it’s good to have some confidence in what’s going on now. And I mean I was so disappointed in some of the elections we’ve had in the last week or so, but you gave me new confidence. Special Agent Frank Taratino, and anything else we can do to.

6:02 Speaker 2 Help John, I just think that the more that we can get the message out to the American people about the threat that they face with Fentanel, the threat that the cartels in the Chinese criminal groups present, this existential threat is real. This is a public health, public safety, and national security risk. And the DEA is here to

6:26 stem that tithe and to make a difference and keep our communities healthy and safe.

6:30 Speaker 1 Frank Turntino, thank you for everything you’ve done twenty four years helping the American people. And keep going and in God we trust but we trust in your work too. Thank you so much.

6:46 Speaker 2 Thank you, John Cott, thank you, Frank, thank you. I appreciate your generosity and the time and also the questions they were good.

6:57 Speaker 1 Thank you very much. And we just have to help each other and do whatever we can to help our country.

7:04 Speaker 2 Well, you’re helping us a tremendous amount and we really do appreciate it. I mean that sincerely.

7:08 Speaker 1 Thank you, thank you. Thanks Jean,