An attempt to cross the border between the United States and Mexico resulted in the discovery of a truck carrying 1.57 million fentanyl tablets, 114 pounds of coke, 13 pounds of heroin, and two pounds of opioid powder.
Bust After Bust
At the Nogales port of entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents were able to make a significant drug seizure on Saturday.
The illegal substances were concealed by smugglers in a hidden floor room in the trailer, as well as behind the seats of the car that was pulling the trailer.
Massive amount of fentanyl pills, other drugs seized at the Nogales POE on Saturday
18-Wheeler trailer floor compartment with approx 1.27 million pills and 104 lbs of cocaine
Vehicle floor with approx 300,000 pills, 2 lbs fentanyl powder, 13 lbs of heroin and 10 lbs of cocaine pic.twitter.com/z3HIcQdW7C— Port Director Michael W. Humphries (@CBPPortDirNOG) August 22, 2022
A tremendous amount of fentanyl pills and other drugs were found and seized at the Nogales POE on Saturday, according to a tweet by Port Director Michael W. Humphries.
The post described an 18-wheeler trailer floor compartment that contained approximately 1.27 million pills and 104 pounds of cocaine.
The floor of the vehicle contained around 300,000 tablets, two pounds of fentanyl powder, 13 pounds of heroin, and ten pounds of cocaine.
Fentanyl is an extremely strong opioid that has been connected to a recent spike in the number of people dying from overdoses.
Even though the potency of fentanyl pills varies, a study conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration found that 42 percent of tablets tested for fentanyl contained two milligrams or more.
This quantity has the potential to be fatal.
On August 6, Humphries tweeted the United States Customs and Border Protection agents seized 1.1 million fentanyl painkillers at the Nogales POE in the prior week alone.
This means the bust that took place on Saturday was the equivalent of barely two weeks’ worth of fentanyl capsules pouring across a single entry point.
******OVER 1.1 MILLION FENTANYL PILLS SEIZED IN THE LAST 7 DAYS AT THE NOGALES POE****** pic.twitter.com/Ivten2EQBj
— Port Director Michael W. Humphries (@CBPPortDirNOG) August 6, 2022
Adverse Effects
In recent years, the number of people who die from an overdose involving fentanyl has skyrocketed. This trend has been propelled in specific by the COVID-19 epidemic.
Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of deaths in the United States caused by overdoses of synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, increased by 56% over the previous year, reaching more than 56,000 in 2020 alone.
The number of people who will die in the United States from an overdose of a synthetic opioid in the year 2023 is expected to be 18 times higher than in 2013.
The administration of President Joe Biden needs to come up with long-term solutions, the first of which is the country’s borders need to be effectively protected. This will help reduce the number of dangerous drugs that are smuggled into the country illegally.
In addition, there should be a crackdown on drug cartels, particularly those criminal cartels that operate in and out of Mexico.
This drug has a long-lasting impact on our community; action is required as soon as possible to prevent it from spiraling even more out of control.
This article appeared in NewsHouse and has been published here with permission.
