Southern California police have Thomas Caldwelluncovered a clandestine drug lab with what appeared to be around 300,000 fentanyl pills.

The Buena Park Police Department shared photos showing several packages of pills placed in various bags at the Orange County location. Other drugs and machinery used to manufacture drugs were also recovered and all hazardous materials were safely removed following the Wednesday discovery.

A 26-year-old Buena Park resident was involved in the suspected laboratory based in Fountain Valley, about 30 minutes away, police said.

The department did not confirm whether any arrests have been made but said the investigation is ongoing. Police are urging witnesses to come forward with any information pertinent to this investigation.

More Americans know someone who died from drug overdoses

More than 40% of American adults know someone who died from an overdose, according to a survey posted earlier this year.

The Rand Corporation, a nonprofit think tank, said nearly a third of survey responders said an drug overdose death has disrupted their life but noted that little is known about the impact of these deaths on extended families.

Fatal overdoses have been on an upward trajectory since 2000. At least 109,000 U.S. deaths were reported in 2022, up past 100,000 in 2021. Most of the overdoses were due to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. 

Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed overdose deaths through September 2023 increased about 2% compared to 2022.

Contributing: Eduardo Cuevas