Tarrant County takes aim at suspected drug dealers

FORT WORTH, Texas - A new law enforcement unit in Tarrant County will take aim at people suspected of dealing drugs.

District Attorney Phil Sorrells announced the creation of the unit that focuses on potentially deadly drugs like fentanyl, meth, and heroin.

He’ll direct prosecutors assigned to the unit to assign the harshest punishment they can.

The crackdown comes months after a new law took effect allowing prosecutors to classify deaths from fentanyl overdoses as murders.

"We’re going to get the people who sell this poison off the streets. We will do everything we can to keep our community safe," Sorrells said.

The DA’s office said there have been more than 300 drug-related deaths, and nearly 2,500 drug overdoses in Tarrant County this year.

That’s part of a larger trend across Texas, which is largely blamed on fentanyl.