2023 Fargo Police Crime Report shows alarming amount of fentanyl pills seized

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Fargo Police released its 2023 crime report, and one of the biggest takeaways is the amount of fentanyl pills that were seized.

Cass County Drug Task Force, which includes Fargo Police, seized more than 85,000 pills last year. That is an increase of 126% from 2022.

But the most alarming stat that wasn’t in the report, was the potential amount of fentanyl pills that are coming in and out of Fargo.

“But think about it. If we seized 86,000, there’s probably three or four times that amount if not more that is flowing through our area. And that’s just our area. This is a pervasive crisis across the country but the regulation of it is pretty much out of our control,” said Zibolski.

Zibolski says that murder, rape and robberies were down in Fargo. But there was an increase in simple assaults. Amongst the report, Zibolski highlighted the issues regarding mental health calls. And he called for more to be done to help those experiencing that.

“Several of those times within hours we’re right back with the same person. This also is a very significant issue that we need assistance with. This should not be a police issue alone but we are stuck in a system that does not provide us the options that we need.” said Zibolski.

Last year was tough for the Fargo Police force after the tragic death of Officer Jake Wallin. Despite the challenges of getting back out on the streets and dealing with those emotions, Zibolski says crews did what they could.

“I can’t say enough about the really great and determined work by our department because really aside that initial period thereafter people were back out doing what they needed to do to keep our community safe and keep each other safe.” said Zibolski.