When it comes to fighting fentanyl, Coeur d’Alene police are fast and furious. 

Sgt. Eric Boardman said that in one recent case, someone drove to Coeur d’Alene to pick up the illegal synthetic opioid. 

“How long do you think it took before they got arrested?” he asked.  

The answer: 5 minutes. 

“I’m proud of that. We’re pretty aggressive with fighting that, but there’s no one ringing this bell,” he said. “There’s too much money to be made and it’s too inexpensive.” 

Boardman, a member of the department's small opioid task force formed last year, outlined some of what police are up against in a 15-minute presentation to the City Council on Tuesday. 

“The landscape of narcotics and illicit drug use has changed significantly in the last 10 years,” he said. “It's not the same as when we were kids. It’s not the same as it was 15-20 years ago.” 

There were 386 overdose deaths in Idaho in 2024, all attributed to fentanyl, which Boardman said is tasteless, odorless and 50 times more potent than heroin. 

Nationwide, in 2023, 107,000 Americans died of drug overdose, Boardman said, and in the past 10 years, 678,000 people in the U.S. died of an opioid overdose.  

Illicit fentanyl is generally smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico. It used to be primarily in the form of pills, which can resemble prescription narcotics like Oxycontin but are counterfeit and often lethal. 

Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered lethal by the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is the leading cause of death in the U.S. of those in the 18 to 45 age group. 

Boardman said “hard” users used to take five to seven pills a day, at a cost of about $15 to $20 each. Today, they might take up to 50 pills a day at 50 cents each. 

But Boardman said the powdered form of fentanyl is dominant now. It is easier to transport, comes in many colors, can be combined with other substances, including cocaine, and can be taken in a variety of ways.

"They can always change the delivery mechanisms," he said. "It just depends on what they’re trying to accomplish."

Boardman said fentanyl even comes in the form of candy. 

“I ask you what demographic you think they’re targeting there,” he said.  

The task force's role includes responding to overdose calls, providing assistance to overdose victims and family members, investigating illegal opioid trafficking and distribution and providing training to public safety personnel. 

Boardman said first responders and law officers have faced grim situations due to drug overdoses.

“You can’t unhear the sound a parent makes when they find their 15-year-old," he said. "You can’t unhear it. You can’t unsee the face of 3-year-old that just slept with her mother for the better part of 24 hours alone in a apartment or a 14-month-old who just spend the last 16 hours with his mom while she's cold on the floor. Those are our cases here."

As much emphasis as police place on the opioid battle, illicit drugs continue to flow through North Idaho on Interstate 90 and U.S. 95, which Boardman referred to as "high-intensity drug trafficking" areas. 

"This stuff is coming through every single day, and there’s no stopping it," Boardman said.

But, he said Coeur d’Alene police do their best and coordinate with area law agencies.

“There's no wall around Coeur d'Alene," Boardman said.