Federal officials last year reported seizing over a million fentanyl pills at the Nogales, Ariz., port of entry during a 30-day period ending September 24.
They seized the same amount in one day in January, according to US Customs and Border Protection, which reported this week. And the potentially deadly synthetic opioid continues to be discovered in February.
Related posts
“CBP officers at the Port of Nogales seized over 45 pounds of fentanyl (Feb. 9) – 17.65 pounds of powder and 27.40 pounds of pills – concealed inside a speaker box” on a vehicle, Diane J. Sabatino, acting executive assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Field Operations, tweeted. “Technology and a CBP canine helped stop these deadly drugs from reaching U.S. communities.”
With each pill weighing about 1 gram, that’s 125,000 fentanyl pills.
A little more than two weeks earlier, border officials confiscated 111,200 fentanyl pills and 95 pounds of methamphetamines during another vehicle search at the port. On January 26, authorities seized 124,000 fentanyl pills and 17 pounds of fentanyl powder in yet another conveyance, according to CBP.
But the height of the traffic came on January 17.
On that day, vehicles attempting to enter the United States at either the DeConcini or Mariposa border crossings were intercepted with concealed cargoes of 522,000 blue pills, 406,000 pills, and 106,600 more.
The first vehicle had 29 pounds of heroin, 29 pounds of cocaine, and 5 pounds of meth, according to J. Acuña, senior CBP official and regional port director in Nogales.
Acuña gave Roki, a K-9 officer, for the second bust, which included a vehicle containing 55 pounds of meth.
Seats in Nogales, Arizona, where the US government is targeting the Sinaloa cartel’s “plaza” leader as part of Operation Plaza Spike.
