United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Anchorage, Alaska – Today the United States Drug Enforcement Administration launched a new comprehensive law enforcement and prevention initiative aimed at reducing drug use, abuse, and overdose deaths.  “Operation Engage” allows participating field divisions to focus on the biggest drug threat and resulting violence in their respective geographic areas. The initiative builds on and replaces DEA’s 360 Strategy, which aimed its resources specifically at opioids, and allows field divisions to customize plans and direct resources to target the drug that presents the greatest threat to public health and safety in their jurisdictions. The Seattle Field Division, Anchorage District Office submitted one of the 11 proposals approved in the initial round of funding and will focus its Operation Engage efforts on opioids, to include fentanyl, heroin and prescription drugs.

“We continue to see an increase in non-fatal and fatal drug overdose deaths as a result of the widespread abuse of opioids in our communities,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino.  “In response to this ever increasing threat, DEA is launching a community-level collaborative effort in Anchorage to increase awareness and education through a wide range of resources.  The impact and overall effectiveness of this initiative is directly dependent on the community, law enforcement, health care, prevention and social service professionals working together to mitigate the opioid drug threat.   I invite you, and your families, to explore our Operation Engage webpage to learn more about the available resources in your community.  Learning as a family, early on, is the first step in avoiding drug experimentation, drug misuse, drug addiction, and all related behaviors that are plaguing our communities.”

 The goals of Operation Engage are to:

• Identify the drugs that affect individuals and families in the designated areas
• Identify evidence-informed strategies that best fit community needs
• Identify and eliminate local drug threats in every field division
• Support and contribute to local drug use prevention efforts
• Bridge local public safety and public health efforts
• Build on the success of DEA 360 and expand Operation Engage nationwide in 2022

Recent statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control show an alarming rise in drug overdose deaths, with synthetic opioids driving record-high fatalities. The vast majority of deaths involve illicitly manufactured fentanyl, including fentanyl analogs.

Overdose deaths involving methamphetamine increased almost 35% in the past year and now exceed the number of cocaine-involved overdose deaths, which increased by 26.5%. The record number of overdose deaths represents an 18 percent increase year over year. While this increase began prior to the COVID-19 health emergency, it accelerated significantly during the first months of the pandemic. These deaths are likely linked to the co-use or contamination of cocaine and synthetic opioids. DEA works every day to target and take down the drug trafficking organizations flooding American communities with illegal drugs. But confronting this public health crisis requires a strategy to reduce demand in those communities.

The Operation Engage initiative encourages partnerships with healthcare professionals, as well as engagement with community and social service organizations best positioned to provide long-term assistance and support for building drug-free communities. 

For more information, visit the Operation Engage Anchorage webpage https://www.dea.gov/engage/operation-engage-anchorage