U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in Lukeville, Arizona, recently made what they called the agency’s largest fentanyl seizure to date, when agents at a port of entry found approximately 4 million blue fentanyl pills weighing more than 1,000 pounds.
The seizure was one of several large seizures of fentanyl identified by the department in July as part of two special operations targeting fentanyl smuggling and cartel bosses bringing the deadly drug into the United States.
Port #Lukeville, #AZ Largest amount of fentanyl seized @CBP OFO history record seizure of 4 million fentanyl pills weighing over 1,000 pounds. Drugs were found hidden in the frame of a utility trailer. Great job by the Lukeville team! pic.twitter.com/KsjIhu2kPo
— Director of Field Operations Guadalupe H. Ramirez (@DFOTucson) July 30, 2024
CBP officials said in a statement this week that the record-breaking seizure occurred on July 1 when officers at the Lukeville Port of Entry encountered a 20-year-old U.S. citizen from Arizona who was attempting to enter the United States from Mexico. The Arizona man was driving a 2011 pickup truck towing a sports recreation vehicle with a utility trailer — not uncommon at the port due to its proximity to Mexican beach recreation areas.
Officers decided to conduct a more thorough search of the vehicles, trailers and trucks at a secondary inspection area. During that search, officers noticed abnormalities throughout the frame of the trailer. A K-9 detection team assisted in the search, ultimately discovering 234 packages containing 4 million fentanyl pills hidden within the trailer’s frame.
Guadalupe Ramirez, field operations director for the Tucson field office, praised the Port of Lukeville, saying, “The amount of work that the Port of Lukeville employees have done to prevent dangerous drugs from entering communities across the United States is incredible.”
CBP Senior Official Troy Miller, acting as Commissioner, commended the officers involved in the seizures and successful ongoing drug counter-offensive operations, saying, “Every day, CBP officers and agents are on the front lines using their keen instincts and state-of-the-art technology to prevent deadly drugs from entering our nation and poisoning our communities.”
According to CBP, officers at the same port of entry reported seizing approximately 270 pounds of methamphetamine a few days later. The second seizure occurred on July 12 when a 45-year-old Mexican man driving a 2007 Ford F-150 pickup truck, also towing a utility trailer, applied to enter the U.S. After screening using non-intrusive X-ray equipment and a K-9 screening team, officers found 39 boxes of methamphetamine totaling approximately 272 pounds, as well as an additional five pounds of cocaine.
CBP estimates the street value of these two significant seizures to be more than $12.6 million.
The two drug seizures are part of two joint counter-drug operations, Operation Apollo Arizona and Operation Plaza Spike. According to officials, Operation Apollo Arizona is a joint counter-fentanyl operation focused on intelligence gathering. The operation focuses law enforcement efforts on disrupting the narcotics and chemical supply, gathering and sharing intelligence and leveraging valuable partnerships.
Operation Plaza Spike Targeting plaza bosses and cartels who facilitate the distribution of deadly fentanyl and other illicit synthetic drugs. The operation is designed to disrupt operations in “plazas,” cartel territories located directly south of the United States that are natural logistical chokepoints for cartel operations.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, 107,941 Americans will die from drug overdose in 2022 alone, with 70 percent of those deaths caused by fentanyl and synthetic opioids. Fentanyl remains the number one cause of death among Americans ages 18-45.
The DEA launchedOne pill can killThe agency warned the public that “tests have found that one in seven counterfeit pills sold by Mexican drug cartels contains a lethal dose of fentanyl.”
Randy Clark Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as Chief of the Law Enforcement Operations Division, where he led operations for nine Border Patrol stations in the Del Rio Sector, Texas. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
