Deadly fentanyl smuggled across the southern border is quickly spreading nationwide

HIDALGO, Texas. (SBG) — China has long been a major supplier of deadly fentanyl to the United States. But law enforcement agencies including the, Drug Enforcement Administration, say a new player is quickly taking its place. Mexico has picked up the slack in the production of the lethal drug, with

 

smuggling across our southern border becoming an increasing problem as the fentanyl enters the States and quickly spreads nationwide.

Evidence of the growing fentanyl problem was on display earlier this year at the Nogales, Arizona, Port of Entry operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. On a table guarded by an armed officer sat a massive load of fentanyl and methamphetamine. At the time, CBP called it the largest fentanyl seizure in agency history, with millions of dollars worth of the synthetic drug uncovered during an inspection. The fentanyl, found in both pill and powder form, had been smuggled in the hidden compartment of a tractor-trailer, driven by a Mexican national who had hidden the drugs beneath a load of cucumbers. Nogales Area Port Director Michael Humphries said, “We’re organized as well and we’ll use all our resources to prevent the entry of dangerous narcotics into the United States.”

Fentanyl is considered so potent and dangerous that just a few grains are enough to kill. And the drug has become a nationwide killer. According to government statistics, more than 28,000 of the nation’s 70,200 overdose deaths in 2017 could be attributed to fentanyl. Now Spotlight on America has learned the source of deadly fentanyl is even closer to home, with the DEA citing a massive increase coming in from Mexico.

“It’s a significantly bigger problem,” said Will Glaspy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Houston division. “Five years ago, we didn’t know how to spell fentanyl in South Texas because we didn’t see it.”

Fentanyl has historically come into the U.S. from China, with some exploiting loopholes in the United States Postal Service as they imported the drug. But now Glaspy says drug cartels just over the border in Mexico have become major players in this deadly game, manufacturing fentanyl and smuggling it in. Often, he explained, it’s disguised as counterfeit pills that look like standard prescription painkillers. Once it’s stateside, it spreads like wildfire.

“That fentanyl can be on the street in South Texas, that very day. It can be on the streets in New Orleans in under two days,” Glaspy said. “And in three days, deadly doses of fentanyl can be on the streets of Atlanta, Chicago and New York.”

The problem is well-known to lawmakers and law enforcement. In July, the shift in supply was discussed at length during a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Committee with the DEA’s Regional Director Matthew Donahue saying, “Mexican TCOs (Transnational Criminal Organizations) remain the greatest criminal drug threat to the United States. These Mexican poly-drug organizations traffic heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and now more than ever illicit fentanyl and synthetic opioid analogues, which are responsible for so many deaths over the last several years throughout the United States using established transportation routes and distribution networks.”

In the last three months, Glaspy says his agents in the Houston division have seized more than 20,000 counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. And he told us authorities in Mexico have shut down at least a half dozen clandestine labs in the last six months. One of those labs, he said, had a load of chemicals so huge it could produce enough fentanyl to kill 113million Americans if it made its way across the border.

That’s where U.S. Customs and Border Protection comes in. Spotlight on America got an inside look as agents at the Hidalgo Port of Entry in Texas, ran cars through the border checkpoint and then funneled some into a deeper seven-point inspection, screening for illegal items being smuggled into the country.

CBP Public Affairs Liaison Phil Barrera told us, “We’re the first line of defense. We’re the front door to your house.”

It starts with officer intuition, Barrera explained, but the agency also uses specialized tools. That includes something called a Gemini, which can speed test unknown powders and pills that could potentially be fentanyl. When officers place a small amount of the drug into a testing vial, the machine can identify human-made chemicals in a matter of seconds, which is crucial not just to prevent drug smuggling but also to preserve officer safety. Fentanyl has been problematic for law enforcement and first responders because breathing in a small amount of the drug can create health issues.

Barrera said the machines, which he indicated cost approximately $85,000 each, have become a vital tool during border screenings, “It’ll tell us with pinpoint accuracy what we’re dealing with.”

Filed under: General Problems