In the first six months of 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents seized more than 150 pounds of fentanyl in the Laredo Sector, according to federal government figures.
During the entire year of 2021, agents seized nearly 600 pounds of the deadly narcotic at the Laredo International Bridges.
Drugs are the leading cause of death among American adults under the age of 45. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) believes Fentanyl to be the deadliest drug threat the U.S. has faced.
DEA Administrator, Anne Milgram, stated “Fentanyl is highly addictive, found in all 50 states, and drug traffickers are increasingly mixing it with other types of drugs — in powder and pill form — in an effort to drive addiction and attract repeat buyers.”
CDC statistics state that the number of reported drug overdose deaths has been steadily increasing since 2015 in Texas and the United States as a whole.
In 2021, Texas saw around 4,800 drug overdose deaths. In 2019, the number was closer to 3,000 deaths, a marked increase of almost 2,000 overdoses in only two years.
According to statistics from the CBP, there were a total of 11.2 thousand pounds of fentanyl seized in 2021 at entry ports into the United States. They anticipate even more will be seized this year.
Drug traffickers can disguise drugs as other legal medications or hide them inside legal goods. The CBP has seen people attempt to smuggle drugs across the border hidden in kitchenware, speakers, and toys.