During a routine sweep of an area shipping and distribution center, police in Kansas City, Kansas, made a huge find over the weekend: more than 10,000 fake pills laced with fentanyl. Police said the department's narcotics unit was involved in the routine sweep, which involved officers and the K9 unit. The department found and seized the illegal pills, which carried an estimated street value of around $100,000. “The KCKPD wants dealers and suppliers to know that Kansas City, Kansas, is not the place to be doing business,” Capt. John Diaz, KCKPD Narcotics Unit, said. “We are conducting routine sweeps with the assistance of drug-sniffing K9s in a variety of facilities, including those that process packages. Last year, as part of the Violent Crimes Task Force, we seized about 150,000 pills and expect to seize even more in 2023.”Police said the pills that were found this weekend are nearly identical to those dispensed by pharmacies. However, these contain potentially lethal amounts of fentanyl.“We're doing seizures almost daily. And then we're going after the sellers to get the poison off our streets, our goal,” said Captain John Diaz of KCKPD’s Narcotics Unit.Last year, KCK set a record of 174 overdose cases, including 40 deaths.One of them was Shawn Dewey, 25.Dewey died of fentanyl poisoning in September.“This is nothing I would wish on my worst enemy because it’s an unexplainable pain,” said Shannon Earnshaw, Shawn’s mother.Shawn’s cousin Katie Kennedy, also 25, also died of fentanyl poisoning nearly a year ago in February 2022.She left behind her now 4-year-old son Stephen, who family members affectionately call “Jellybean”.Katie’s mom Jennifer Earnshaw is in the process of getting legal custody of Stephen.Jennifer has put together a photo album of Katie for Stephen.“He cries for her every day. It’s very hard. I tell him he can speak to her, he can’t see her, but he can speak to her,” Jennifer said.Police said fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. In 2022, Kansas City, Kansas, saw a record 174 overdoses, 40 of which were fatal, mostly related to fentanyl ingestion. Once ingested or inhaled, most overdoses occur within seconds to minutes. Another area near Kansas City dealing with Fentanyl, Belton. Federal authorities have charged Tiger Dean Draggoo, 22 with fentanyl trafficking and illegal possession of firearms, including two machine guns. The Feds also claim Draggoo has a connection to the deaths of three Belton teens due to fentanyl poisoning.“We're here. We're going to educate ourselves so we can save our kids,” said Sandy Clutter, Executive Director of “Belton Cares”.That group is working with the Belton School District and local law enforcement to aggressively attack the fentanyl problem.In addition to education efforts, the drug narcan is now at all the Belton schools to treat anyone who may be suffering a fentanyl overdose.“Losing one child is horrible. Losing multiple children is unheard of,” Clutter said.There are multiple support groups for families who’ve lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning, including one for Kansas and Missouri families on Facebook.https://www.facebook.com/groups/803259164441301Shannon and Jennifer Earnshaw say knowing you’re not alone has helped.And they also say it’s important to get the message out about the dangers of drugs not prescribed by a physician so another family won’t experience the pain they have."If you are with someone who exhibits symptoms of overdose, such as shallow or no breathing, and becomes unresponsive after ingesting or snorting a drug, call 911 IMMEDIATELY," police said in a news release Wednesday. "If you have any information regarding the sale of fentanyl, or any illegal drugs, please call the KCKPD Narcotics 24-hour Hotline at 913-573-6287. You may remain anonymous."