Drug enforcement agents will ramp up work this summer as hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to Seattle for the World Cup.
“Anytime you have a big event, this is an opportunity for criminal enterprises,” said Robert Saccone, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Seattle Field Division. “We’re going to have that many more people in town, which means there’s going to be that much more demand for drugs, and so we’re aware of it. We have trends that we’re looking at.”
Saccone, who stepped into the role to lead the division in December 2025, says the work behind the scenes during the event will mirror the work that agents do every day.
“Our agents are working 24 hours, seven days a week,” he said. “They look like normal people. They’re in normal, regular clothes and regular cars, and so most of the time, the public won’t even see a DEA agent. That’s our purpose.”
KIRO 7 sat down with Saccone Wednesday for his first sit-down interview in the new role. We asked about the biggest threats facing the region and the biggest priorities of the department.
Saccone stressed the top focus remains on fentanyl: a synthetic opioid often taken illegally on its own, and frequently laced into other drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, or fake prescription pills.
“All you need is two milligrams to be a fatal dose,” Saccone said. “Two milligrams basically fits on the tip of a pencil.”
Often, users might purchase one drug without realizing fentanyl is laced in it.
“They go to this anonymous person thinking that they’re getting an Adderall pill,” Saccone said. “In fact, they’re getting a pill that’s laced with fentanyl.”
Much of the fentanyl in our region is produced by cartels in Mexico, Saccone said, using chemicals that come from China. The DEA notes that fentanyl purity declined in 2024, signifying that it’s becoming more difficult for cartels to obtain those chemicals.
“We’re doing a good job of applying pressure on them, and so you’re seeing that reduction in the purity of the drug,” Saccone said. “But our work is not done.”
That decline in fentanyl purity might be part of the reason that overdoses have declined. In King County, overdoses declined in both 2024 and 2025, after hitting a recent peak in 2023. ,
Local fentanyl seizures are up, too. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Seattle Field Division seized approximately 25 million deadly doses of fentanyl in 2025, a roughly 24% increase from the previous year.
Just last month, the division completed its “largest seizure in eastern Washington ever.” The bust yielded over 200 pounds of methamphetamine, over 164 pounds of powdered fentanyl, and over five pounds of cocaine. More than a dozen firearms were seized along with it.
“23 years ago, when I started the job, if you arrested someone that’s a drug trafficker, every once in a while you’d find someone that might be armed with a weapon,” Saccone said. “Now, almost every drug trafficker we arrest has a weapon on them.”
Violence and drug trafficking often go hand-in-hand, which is part of the reason that cracking down is so crucial.
“These people could live down the street from you, or across the street from you, and they could be armed with weapons,” he said.
Despite gains in fentanyl seizures, the DEA is monitoring shifting trafficking trends, particularly the use of social media platforms to reach younger buyers. Saccone noted that traffickers exploit the anonymity of technology to sell drugs to children.
“In 2026, kids can just sit in their rooms alone, and they can get on social media, and they order drugs from someone they don’t even know,” Saccone said regarding the role of technology in modern drug sales.
He said the agency is “always looking at new trends, new technologies they’re using” to stay ahead of traffickers.
The DEA has also focused on education, especially in schools, to warn young people of the dangers.
“Parents as a whole, one of the biggest things is be aware of what your child is doing,” Saccone said. “Be aware of what they’re doing on social media.”
Traffickers often advertise on social media platforms, using disappearing 24-hour stories and posts to quickly remove evidence, according to the DEA.
They often use special symbols and characters to represent the drugs they’re selling. You can read more about those symbols here.
Kids buying the drugs might not understand they have fentanyl laced within them, which is why the DEA has published its One Pill Can Kill Campaign.
For more information, click here.
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