BATON ROUGE — The synthetic opioid fentanyl has been identified as Louisiana's top local drug threat by the New Orleans branch of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Deaths caused by fentanyl in Louisiana are on the rise. In 2019, there were 307 recorded deaths, which rose to 708 recorded deaths in 2020 and continued to grow to 1,177 in 2021, according to the LA Opioid Data and Surveillance System.

The drug is "50 times more potent than heroin," the head of the New Orleans branch of the DEA Steve Hofer told WBRZ on Thursday.

"Because it takes such a small amount, it's easy to hide, easy to smuggle, and it's so cheap to make," Hofer said.

He added that opioid pills can be made for pennies and sold for much more, driving the popularity of the drug.

The DEA is focused on educating people on how dangerous fentanyl is, with the national organization introducing "Operation Engage" as a community-level approach meant to address the ongoing drug epidemic.