DES MOINES -- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says new federal immigration policy is leading to fewer drugs being seized in Iowa.
The number of fentanyl tablets seized by Iowa law enforcement officers in the first half of this year was down 64 percent compared to the average of the same six months over the previous four years, according to a graphic Reynolds posted on social media Tuesday.
The amount of methamphetamine seized was down 25 percent, using the same comparison, according to the graphic.
The state's comparison of the first six months of 2025 vs. the first six months of the past four years appears to be an attempt to draw a parallel to comparisons between current, Republican President Donald Trump, who took office this year, and previous, Democratic President Joe Biden, who held office from 2021 to 2024.
"The numbers are in. Securing our border = less drugs in Iowa," Reynolds wrote in the social media post.
The governor's office did not offer any further comment and the Department of Public Safety declined further comment beyond confirming the data.
The data, according to a state spokeswoman, comes from the Criminalistics Laboratory in the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which is housed by DPS. All law enforcement agencies across Iowa submit to the lab, which means the data comes from local as well as state law enforcement efforts.
According to the DCI Criminalistics Laboratory data:
- Just more than 17,000 fentanyl tablets were seized in the first six months of 2025. That is below the first six-month totals in 2024 (96,614), 2023 (25,468) and 2022 (60,887).The four-year average for the first six months of 2021 through 2024 was 47,302, making 2025's six-month total a 64 percent decrease.
- 98,898 grams of meth have been seized by Iowa law enforcement in the first six months of 2025. That is below the first six-month totals in 2024 (155,586), 2023 (108,150), 2022 (127,826) and 2021 (133,444).The four-year average for the first six months of 2021 through 2024 was 131,251, making 2025's six-month total a 25 percent decrease.
What local officers are saying
Wayne Co. Sheriff Keith Davis, president of the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association, said the statistics are "true and factual," and that if the trend holds, it would be "significant."
"Obviously, large seizures in the second half of the year, agencies not submitting drugs for analysis, or seizures going federally could impact the end of year numbers out of the lab," Davis said in an email to The Gazette. "But if this trend holds it certainly appears to be significant."
Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner said his agency historically does not see many fentanyl or meth seizures, and that those few seizures have remained "mostly steady, yet relatively low" this year.
The Marion Police Department, on the other hand, actually has seen a significant increase in meth items seized in the first six months of this year, according to data provided by Officer Tom Daubs.
Federal legislation signed into law
Meantime Wednesday in Washington, D.C., Trump signed into law the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird attended the bill signing event at the White House, and members of Iowa's Congressional delegation applauded the bill being signed into law.
According to Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley's office, the bill -- which Grassley shepherded through the Senate Judiciary Committee that he chairs -- permanently classifies illicit fentanyl knockoffs as Schedule I drugs, preserves the Schedule II status and FDA-approved use of fentanyl for legitimate medical purposes, and streamlines the registration process for Schedule I researchers, allowing more scientists to study fentanyl-related substances.
In a news release, Grassley hailed the new law as "a major victory in America's fight against fentanyl."
"By permanently classifying fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I, the HALT Fentanyl Act will save American lives and prevent deadly fentanyl knockoffs from making their way into Iowa communities," Grassley said in the news release. "I applaud President Trump's action today as well as his ongoing commitment to turning the corner on the Biden administration's disastrous policies and creating a safer America."