DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Drug Enforcement Agency said it made a major drug bust after executing eight search warrants across metro Detroit Thursday morning.
DEA special agent-in-charge Andy Lawton said the fentanyl bust is part of a larger ongoing investigation that started when authorities found drugs on a tractor trailer.
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"Prior to this, we also had a significant seizure involving 48 kilos of methamphetimine, an additional, 5 kilos of fentanyl and an additional 47 kilograms of cocaine," he explained.
Lawton said this bust recovered 14 kilograms of fentanyl from one location and $200,000 in cash from a different location. He said that amount of fentanyl is enough to kill 7 million people.
Four people were taken into custody and more arrests are expected, the agency said.
"The folks that are selling this don't care about your health. They don't care about your safety. They don't care about the lives of your family. They don't care about the lives of your friends. They're in it for money and unfortunately as a result of that, people die," Lawton said.
Authorities executed a search warrant at 8900 E. Jefferson Avenue, which comes back to the River House Co-op building in Detroit.
The DEA also raided a home in the 1700 block of Fairview Street in Detroit, a home in Redford on Sarasota Street near Schoolcraft and a home in Farmington Hills.
The agency said search warrants were also executed at four other undisclosed locations.
When asked where the drugs were coming from, Lawton replied, "These drugs are coming from the southwest border."
Dr. Andre Johnson is the president and CEO of the Detroit Recovery Project. The organization helps treat people who struggle with substance use disorders and mental health disorders. Johnson said saving lives is one major impact, of many, drug raids have on the community.
"There's also an impact around decreasing the public health burden because obviously, fentanyl and other drugs do attribute to a lot of other problems that we see in our community. (The drug enforcement) helps to mitigate some mental health crisis, it helps to mitigate some of the poverty, as well as some of the trauma that is directly linked to fentanyl and other substances," he explained.
