Brown County Sheriff's Office and Wisconsin Congressman Hope to Collaborate with the Postal Service to Address Fentanyl Risk

Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 -- 1:00 PM

(By Joe Schulz, Wisconsin Public Radio) The Brown County Sheriff’s Office and a local congressman hope more collaboration with the United States Postal Service can help address rising fentanyl risk in northeast Wisconsin.

According to Joe Schulz with Wisconsin Public Radio, last year, the Brown County Drug Task Force seized nearly 10,000 grams of fentanyl, a deadly, synthetic opioid. For comparison, the task force seized roughly 1,100 grams in 2021.

That’s according to Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain, who held a press conference Monday with Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher. "We're seeing fentanyl as the No. 1 issue facing northeast Wisconsin as far as a drug," Delain said. "Right now, we're seeing fentanyl at the same or higher level than we have in 2022."

Outside Brown County, fentanyl has also become a growing issue for the Fox Valley, where the Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group-Drug Unit saw a 4,400 percent increase in the amount of fentanyl seized from 2021 to 2022.

And state health officials reported a record 1,427 opioid overdose deaths in 2021, according to the most recent data available. Synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, were identified in 91 percent of those opioid deaths, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said.

Statewide overdose data for 2022 won’t be finalized until this fall. Delain said approximately 60 percent of the Brown County Drug Task Force's fentanyl seizures last year were related to distribution through USPS.

In January, someone even mailed fentanyl and cocaine to the Green Bay police chief through USPS. Prior to the rise in fentanyl, methamphetamines plagued the area, Delain said. A Green Bay man was sentenced in March for distributing more than 13 kilograms of methamphetamine, after mailing drugs from California to Wisconsin through USPS.

To address the issue, Gallagher and Delain are sending a letter to USPS requesting a Postal Service Task Force officer for Brown County. The officer would be a deputy of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office but would also be deputized by USPS, giving them better access to postal records.

Currently, Gallagher said if USPS identifies a package containing fentanyl or opioids, the post office typically disposes of it, unless it’s a "massive shipment." While that keeps some drugs out of the community, Gallagher said he believes it isn’t proactive enough.

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