Fentanyl seizures continue to spike at Mexico border

July 1, 2021 Amber Coakley US 0

FILE – This undated file photo provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Phoenix Division shows a closeup of fentanyl-laced sky blue pills. (Drug Enforcement Administration via AP, File)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 10:39 AM PT – Thursday, July 1, 2021

The U.S-Mexico border has seen a dramatic rise in fentanyl seizures. As of the end of June, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents in El Paso have seized approximately 41 pounds of the deadly narcotic in the 2021 fiscal year so far.

While speaking at a border security briefing on Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) warned this is a deadly impact of Joe Biden’s weak border policies.

Cartels, smugglers & human traffickers are profiting off Biden’s dangerous open border policies.

Illegal border crossings have risen 838% from last year. Seizures of deadly fentanyl have increased 2100%.

Texas will protect our communities, build the wall, & secure the border. pic.twitter.com/Y4RtcKzRus

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 30, 2021

DEA officials said fentanyl is highly profitable, extremely potent and easy to smuggle into the U.S. These factors make it the drug of choice for cartels. Smuggling through just the the El Paso desert is up more than 355 percent compared to last year and 4,000 percent more than 2018.

While speaking during an interview on Tuesday, El Paso U.S Customs and Border Protection Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez weighed in.

“For the first time, fentanyl is being smuggled between the ports of entry,” she stated. “The cartels find ways to intimidate migrants and find ways to legally have them transport that narcotic.”

Meanwhile, Matt Capelouto, whose 20-year-old daughter was killed after accidentally ingesting the deadly narcotic in 2019, urged the Biden administration to take action at a federal level. Alexandra Capelouto ingested what she believed was oxycodone, but it was laced with a lethal amount of fentanyl.

“Don’t think something like this cannote happen to your family,” stated Mr. Capelouto. “Don’t take your kids for granted, tell them you love them every day.”

As Biden’s loose border restrictions make it easier for cartels to operate along the southern border, Republicans are pushing back and have suggested continuing construction of the border wall is the key to stopping drug traffickers.