WHEELING, West Virginia (KTNV) — A Las Vegas man is one of 12 people that have been indicted for trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, crack, and methamphetamine across the United States.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia, 30-year-old Dalen Cage is accused of being part of a drug trafficking enterprise that spanned from Las Vegas to the Ohio Valley.
The indictments were the result of a comprehensive investigation that included five federal searches in West Virginia and Ohio on March 29. During the searches, officers seized controlled substances, firearms, and cash.
The indictment included 16 separate counts.
The U.S. Attorney's Office told CHannel 13 that Cage is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment hearing on Wednesday.
Last month, the Drug Enforcement Administration released their 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment, which revealed certain trends that law enforcement is expecting to see this year.
"The shift from plant-based drugs, like heroin and cocaine, to synthetic, chemical-based drugs, like fentanyl and methamphetamine, has resulted in the most dangerous and deadly drug crisis the United States has ever faced," said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. "At the heart of the synthetic drug crisis are the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels and their associates, who DEA is tracking world-wide. The suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and money launderers all play a role in the web of deliberate and calculated treachery orchestrated by these cartels."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 107,941 drug-related deaths in 2022.
Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids were responsible for about 70% of those deaths while methamphetamine and other synthetic stimulants were responsible for about 30% of those deaths.
When looking at DEA numbers, in 2023, officials seized 29,048 pounds of fentanyl powder, which is nearly twice as much as 2022. More than 79 millio fentanyl pills were also seized in 2023, which is nearly triple the amount of pills that were seized in 2021.
