Border Patrol Agents in Arizona confiscated 250-pounds of deadly fentanyl Thursday afternoon, making it the largest bust in history. The drugs were seized from a Mexican national crossing through the port of entry in Nogales.
"CBP Officers discovered more than 400 packages of drugs concealed within a special floor compartment of a trailer that was laden with cucumbers, driven by a 26-year-old truck driver. Following an alert by a CBP narcotics detection canine, CBP officers seized nearly 254 pounds of fentanyl with a value of approximately $3.5 million and almost 395 pounds of methamphetamine valued at $1.1 million," Customs and Border Protection released in a statement.
#OFO officers at the #PortOfNogales seize nearly $4.6m in meth and fentanyl totaling nearly 650 pounds! The largest seizure of fentanyl in @CBP history and 3rd largest meth seizure in AZ was turned over to @ICEgov partners Details: https://t.co/VDbjg3IA4n pic.twitter.com/pZzXasww53
— CBP Arizona (@CBPArizona) January 31, 2019
— CBP Arizona (@CBPArizona) January 31, 2019
“I want to express my gratitude to the CBP officers involved in this case and Nogales personnel who selflessly perform their duties with dedication, vigilance, and professional even during a funding hiatus,” Nogales Area Port Director Michael Humphries. “Opioids pose a real danger to every community in America and are having fatal consequences across our nation. This past weekend our CBP officers were able to stop an enormous amount of these deadly narcotics from hitting our streets.”
A number of lawmakers reacted to the news.
Largest fentanyl bust in history. Border Patrol seized enough fentanyl to kill 57 MILLION people.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) January 31, 2019
That’s more than the population of Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Minnesota, and Iowa. COMBINED.
We have a crisis on our southern border.