TUCSON (KVOA) - Opioid addiction is the leading cause of overdose deaths and is an epidemic.
According to the CDC, more than 72 percent of the overdose deaths in 2019 were attributed to opioids.
The Drug Enforcement Administration said that many people become addicted when drugs are easily accessible, such as in medicine cabinets in their homes.
DEA held a "Take Back" campaign on April 24, where people could dispose of unused or expired prescription medications.
The Digging Deeper Team was given unprecedented access to the destruction of the drugs that were collected.
In an undisclosed location, DEA took over 16,000 pounds of expired or unused prescription drugs to be destroyed. Boxes upon boxes were unloaded from moving trucks onto a conveyor belt that took the pills into a fiery furnace.