What appears to be over $1 million worth of fentanyl was seized by Texas Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at the Pharr International Bridge on October 13, Fox News reported.
They uncovered 19 packages of alleged fentanyl in a tractor-trailer that arrived at the cargo facility from Mexico.
Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations are currently looking into the case.
Port Director Carlos Rodriguez released a statement that called the discovery the biggest in the port’s history.
“CBP officers intercepted this load of fentanyl, the largest thus far in port history, thanks to great teamwork and the utilization of all available tools and resources,” he said. “It is important to remember how lethal fentanyl is, which is why our officers always work wearing personal protective equipment and use vital equipment which can identify these dangerous substances before officers handle them.”
CBP reported that the 19 packages seized by officers weighed over 44 pounds and were estimated to be worth $1,036,000.
According to the statement, the discovery was made with the use of a canine team and non-intrusive inspection equipment.
Earlier this month, Fort Worth police officers seized over 28,000 fentanyl pills during a drug bust, Fox 4 News reported at the time. Atomic Greene and Melvin Kellough Jr. were arrested as part of the operation, during which officers also seized 10 guns, 29 pounds of marijuana, and over $100,000 in cash.
The criminal complaint and court documents from the case showed that the Fort Worth police worked with an informant, according to Fox 4 News. With their help, a phone call was made to arrange a meeting with Kellough for the fentanyl pills.
“During this telephone call, Kellough informed the CD (informant) that he had approximately 25,000 fentanyl pills that he could deliver to the CD. Kellough further informed the CD that he was going to have his girlfriend bring the fentanyl pills to him as it appeared Kellough was not in possession of the pills at the time,” the criminal complaint says.
The Texas Department of State Health issued an advisory on September 20 stating that fentanyl-related deaths in the state have made a sharp climb since 2018. The number of deaths jumped from 214 to 1,672.
In April, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration released a warning to law enforcement agencies across the country about mass overdoses attributed to fentanyl. It mentioned cities with recent mass-overdose events and one of those cities was Austin, Texas.
The DEA statement claimed fentanyl is found in all 50 states.
“Fentanyl is killing Americans at an unprecedented rate,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in the warning. “Already this year, numerous mass-overdose events have resulted in dozens of overdoses and deaths. Drug traffickers are driving addiction, and increasing their profits, by mixing fentanyl with other illicit drugs. Tragically, many overdose victims have no idea they are ingesting deadly fentanyl, until it’s too late.”