CBP officials seize over 1.6 million fentanyl pills days after Title 42 expires
Luke Gentile
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Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized over 1.6 million fentanyl pills in the last three days at Arizona’s Nogales port of entry.
Fentanyl has long plagued Pima County, and the latest seizure comes less than a week after the expiration of Title 42, which many residents fear will lead to a dangerous and weakened border, according to a report.
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“In Pima County, fentanyl still remains the number one cause of all of our fatal and non-fatal overdoses here locally,” said Mark Person, the program manager of the community mental health and addictions unit of the Pima County Health Department.
“It’s been that way for several years, and it had been increasing year after year since 2017.”
The seizure of almost 2 million fentanyl pills in a matter of days could be a predictor that worse is yet to come.
“The relationship that we’ve seen is when those numbers at the border increase, so do our overdose deaths,” Person said. “But what that really is an indicator of is that the cartels and the people smuggling these drugs are doing more of it in that period of time. So, they’re getting more through.”
The majority of the fentanyl on the streets of Pima County enters with illegal immigrants coming across the border, he said.
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“We’re a natural stopping point before, you know, Maricopa County and then across the nation,” according to Person. “There are multiple points of entry in the country. But for us, where we are, because we’re situated so close to the border, that’s where the majority of the supply is coming from at this point.
“It’s the cheapest drug out there. It is less than $1 a pill. It’s the most potent opioid on the streets,” he added. “It’s highly accessible because you can conceal it, they’re small, you can keep them in your glove box, your pocket, anywhere.”