HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — Virginia's Operation Free has seized over 550 pounds of Fentanyl in the last 45 days.
The operation, launched underExecutive Order 26, signed by Virginia Gov. Youngkin in May 2023, has led to a significant reduction in Fentanyl supply and disruption of gang activity involved in drug trafficking, according to the Governor's office.
News 3 reporter Kelsey Jones has spoken with many mothers who have lost their child to Fentanyl. One being Shannon Doyle, a Virginia Beach mother who lost her 16-year-old daughter, Makayla Cox, to fentanyl poisoning in 2022.
Watch related coverage: Gov. Youngkin signs executive order to fight fentanyl overdoses
Operation FREE (Fentanyl Awareness, Reduction, Enforcement and Eradication) is a collaborative effort involving more than 175 local, state, and federal agencies across 13 states. The goal is to stop the supply and distribution of fentanyl.
Other mothers Kelsey has spoken with who have lost their child to the drug say it's the toughest pill they've ever had to swallow.
"I think about her every single day" said Lisa Reed who lost her 23-year-old daughter Kaitlyn to fentanyl poisioning.
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Mothers like Elizabeth Ripleysaid her son wouldn't want anybody to go through what he went through. She lost her son Michael Warren, just six days before his 22nd birthday.
Initiatives like Operation Free was also created to ensure no other parent has to live in these mother shoes. Governor Glenn Youngkin says he will continue to build on these efforts to make Virginia safer.
