Border Patrol recovers four million fentanyl pills in record drug bust
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Lukeville, Arizona, seized approximately four million blue fentanyl pills on July 1. The stash weighed more than 1,000 lbs. making it the largest fentanyl seizure in Border Patrol history.
“This is the largest fentanyl seizure in CBP’s history, and reflects our unwavering determination to protect our nation and to disrupt the criminal activities of ruthless drug cartels,” said Troy Miller, CBP's senior official performing the duties of the commissioner. “Every day, CBP officers and agents are on our front line, using their keen instincts and the latest technology to prevent deadly drugs from entering our country and poisoning our communities.”
On July 1, a 20-year-old Arizona man and U.S. citizen, arrived at the port driving an older pick-up trick hauling a sport recreational vehicle on a utility trailer. CBP officers decided to perform a more thorough investigation of the vehicle.
CBP officers, with assistance from the CBP canine team, discovered 234 packages of fentanyl pills hidden within the frame of a trailer.
"This is an enormous amount of dangerous drugs that officers at the Port of Lukeville prevented from reaching communities throughout the United States," said Guadalupe Ramirez, director of field operations at the Tucson Field Office.
These record-breaking fentanyl seizures were made in furtherance of Operation Apollo-Arizona and Operation Plaza Spike. Operation Apollo-Arizona is a counter-fentanyl joint operation with a focus on intelligence collection. This CBP-led operation concentrates law enforcement efforts on disrupting drug and chemical supply, collecting and sharing intelligence, and leveraging valuable partnerships. Operation Apollo-Arizona builds on previous actions to further strengthen enforcement intelligence on trafficking networks, including the routes used and their operational logistics, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office.
