CBP in Arizona Seizes 1.98M Fentanyl Pills in 2 Weeks

Customs and Border Protection patrols in Arizona seized almost 2 million fentanyl pills and other drugs during the last two weeks alone.

Michael Humphries, the area port director in Nogales, Arizona, posted the seizures in a series of posts on Twitter starting June 20 with the confiscation of 784,200 fentanyl pills, 169.5 lbs. of methamphetamine, 10.9 lbs. of heroin, and 5.8 lbs. of cocaine.

The seizures came after agents searched six vehicles containing the contraband hidden in various areas including the floor, roof, tires, door panels, body, and in baggage, the tweet said.

Two days later, patrol agents using K-9 officers discovered 517,000 fentanyl pills and 64.6 grams of cocaine in the doors and tailgate of a truck, a separate post stated.

Later pedestrian operations seized an additional 10,800 fentanyl pills in a gym bag.

In a third post Monday, Humphries reported the seizure of 457,000 fentanyl pills and 2.13 lbs. of methamphetamine hidden in a vehicle during a search last Friday, and another 214,000 fentanyl pills and 45.5 lbs. of methamphetamine discovered in a truck on Saturday.

The total number of fentanyl pills seized during that time reached 1,983,000 with an estimated street value between $10-$20 million, according to the Department of Justice drug street price estimates per dose of $5-$10 each.

Between Oct. 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023, the CBP has confiscated 19,800 lbs. of fentanyl, up from the 14,700 lbs. seized in Fiscal Year 2022, the agency reports.

It is the only drug on the CBP list that increased over amounts of marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, LSD, Khat, ketamine, ecstasy, and other drugs seized last year, according to the agency.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl “is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic (pain relief) and anesthetic. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic.”

It can be taken orally in pill form, smoked, or sniffed and snorted, producing effects of “relaxation, euphoria, pain relief, sedation, confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, urinary retention, pupillary constriction, and respiratory depression.”

An overdose can result in “stupor, changes in pupillary size, cold and clammy skin, cyanosis, coma, and respiratory failure leading to death,” according to the DEA.

The National Institutes of Health reports there were 106,699 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2021 alone.