Mexican drug cartels are taking advantage of the chaotic influx of migrants at the US southern border to smuggle thousands of pounds of deadly fentanyl into the country, experts say.
“Border patrol agents are too busy dealing with the influx of migrants, and are not really focused on looking for fentanyl,” Robert Almonte, a Texas-based security consultant and former deputy chief of the El Paso Police Department, told The Post. “Border agents are not getting the support they need from the federal government to stop the flow of fentanyl, which is killing thousands of Americans.”
More than 90 percent of the 10,000 pounds of fentanyl seized in fiscal 2021 occurred at legal border entry points in California and Arizona –—areas where roughly 30 percent of migrants are entering the US, according to CBP statistics.
Meanwhile, In areas like New Mexico and Texas, where border agents are overwhelmed with nearly 70 percent of migrant entries, there have been fewer seizures — less than 5 percent — of the deadly synthetic opioid, experts told The Post. --->READ MORE HERE
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| U.S. CBP/Handout via REUTERS |
Border authorities in Texas seized 22 pounds of fentanyl worth $339,300 that a smuggler was attempting to drive into the U.S. on Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says that 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be enough to kill a person, 22 pounds is 9,979,032 milligrams. Applying the DEA’s own metrics, this means the latest seizure is enough to kill 4,989,516 people.
Between October and April, CBP seized over 6,600 pounds of fentanyl, over 6,200 of which was seized at the Southern border alone.
“Our CBP officers use all available tools and resources to identify and extract narcotics with caution. It is vital to the safety of our officers that we be able to identify what type of narcotic we are dealing with, as a small amount of fentanyl can be fatal,” Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry said in a statement. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to related stories:
Flow of Fentanyl into American Communities Quadruples Under Biden
$339,000 worth of fentanyl stashed in vehicle at South Texas border crossing
El Paso Area CBP Officers Seize 87 Pounds of Hard Narcotics
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