U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from the Calexico Port of Entry intercepted narcotics worth more than $8 million over the course of five days.
Calexico CBP officers discovered 603 pounds of fentanyl, 187 pounds of methamphetamine and 2.5 grams of marijuana concealed inside travelers’ vehicles and luggage while applying for entry into the United States between July 13 and July 17.
“Fentanyl, a very lethal drug, continues to be on the rise and our officers will relentlessly continue doing everything they can to keep this hard narcotic off our streets,” said David Salazar, CBP Port Director for the Calexico Port of Entry.
The CDC states that more than 150 people die every day from drug overdoses related to synthetic opioids derived from fentanyl. https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/fentanyl/index.html
The deadly narcotics were discovered by CBP officers after noticing tampering of travelers’ vehicles and unusual travel patterns.
- July 17, a total of 72.33 pounds of fentanyl and 186.82 pounds of methamphetamine were discovered by CBP officers utilizing the port’s imaging machine.
- July 16, a total of 66.40 pounds of fentanyl and 2.35 grams of marijuana were discovered by CBP officers after an intensive, physical search of the traveler’s vehicle and luggage.
- July 15, 106.30 pounds of fentanyl were discovered by CBP officers utilizing the port’s imaging machine.
- July 14, 227.92 pounds of fentanyl were discovered by CBP officers after a canine enforcement screening was conducted.
- July 13, 130.19 pounds of fentanyl were discovered by CBP officers after they noticed tampering of the vehicle during an initial cursory inspection.
According to DEA, one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl
“Remaining vigilant for something that looks out of place and keeping a keen eye for unusual travel patterns is what our officers are trained to do,” said Anne Maricich, CBP Acting Director of Field Operations in San Diego.
The total estimated amount of the narcotics found by Calexico CBP officers is $8.25 million.
All travelers were turned over to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for further investigation.
The narcotics and vehicles were seized by CBP officers.
