DeSantis: Tough fentanyl laws have led to 60% dip in drug deaths in three years

Florida Department of Law Enforcement photo taken during 2025. (Photo via FDLE X account)More than 600 pounds of fentanyl, 800 pounds of cocaine, and nearly 1,000 firearms have been seized and nearly 3,000 drug arrests made in Florida since 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday during an Orlando press conference. DeSantis — appearing along with Sara Carter, director of the Office of National Drug Policy, and Larry Keefe, director of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement — attributed those accomplishments to a 2023 law establishing the State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (SAFE) grant program. DeSantis said the law, and his administration s vigilant efforts on border control, have helped put Florida in the national forefront in the fight against fentanyl. I think we ve sent the the appropriate deterrence message, that you shouldn t be doing this in the United States but, if you are going to do it, you do not want to do it in the state of Florida. You will regret having don