Authorities have seized 10 kilos of fentanyl since Feb. 10

News release from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office:

RIVERSIDE – Four kilos of powdered fentanyl were seized the evening of March 10 by the Riverside County Gang Impact Team (GIT), which is supervised by the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation.

The seizure was made in an unincorporated area near Temecula and led to the arrest of two brothers from San Diego: Julio Ibarria, DOB 1-3-81; and Carlos Ibarria, DOB 2-20-82. Both were arrested on suspicion of transportation of fentanyl with intent to sell.

This latest seizure comes just a day after two kilos were seized by GIT in Murrieta and now brings the total Riverside County seizures made by the multi-agency team to 10 kilos of fentanyl since Feb. 4.

“The amount of this deadly drug coming into our county is terrifying,” said DA Chief of Investigators Joe DelGiudice. “Each seizure means more lives saved. It’s that simple.”

Fentanyl is an extremely dangerous and potent man-made opioid. It is estimated to be 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.

It only takes about two milligrams of fentanyl to potentially be lethal for most people. For perspective of how small that amount is, it takes 5,000 milligrams to make one teaspoon. In 2020, there were 227 fentanyl-related deaths in Riverside County, up from 55 in 2018.

The 10 kilos seized by GIT since Feb. 4, 2021, is a cumulative 10 million milligrams of fentanyl, or 5 million potentially lethal doses.

The six other kilos seized over the previous five weeks were: Feb. 4, two kilos seized in Riverside; Feb. 5, one kilo seized south of Temecula; March 1, one kilo seized in Murrieta; March 9, two kilos seized in Murrieta.

Law enforcement agencies have seen a tremendous increase in fatal overdoses of fentanyl. The District Attorney’s Office, the Gang Impact Team, and all local law enforcement agencies have made investigations, seizures, arrests, and prosecutions of fentanyl cases a major priority due to the significant risk to public safety.

The DA’s Office has filed second-degree murder charges against several people accused of providing or selling fentanyl-laced drugs to people who died of fentanyl overdoses.

The Gang Impact Team is staffed by investigators and agents from the DA’s Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Marshal’s Service, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations Special Services Unit, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, and detectives from the Banning Beaumont, Cathedral City, Corona, Desert Hot Springs, Hemet, Palm Springs, and Riverside police departments.