Last week, Customs and Border Protection discovered nearly 17 pounds of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine hidden in the muffler of a car traveling from Mexico to the United States. The illegal drugs were intercepted at the border.
CBP agents stopped a 28-year-old male at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego at 4:30 a.m. local time and inspected his vehicle with a K-9 team, which detected the presence of narcotics. After a second inspection, they discovered problems with the muffler beneath the vehicle.
It contained 10 parcels totaling 16.9 pounds of drugs, including 4.62 pounds of fentanyl powder, 7.71 pounds of black tar heroin, 2.46 pounds of brown powder heroin, and 2.11 pounds of cocaine.
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The seizure is part of CBP’s Operation Apollo, a counter-fentanyl initiative in California and Arizona that involves multiple law enforcement agencies targeting narcotics smugglers attempting to enter the United States.
According to CBS, even 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be deadly depending on a person’s tolerance, consumption, and body size. More than two kilograms of fentanyl were discovered in the automobile.
Fentanyl is a synthetic medication used to alleviate pain, although it is 100 times more strong than morphine and classified as a Schedule II substance.
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Illicit fentanyl is mostly manufactured in Mexico and smuggled into the United States. Manufactured illicit fentanyl is frequently combined with other narcotics to increase strength, resulting in deadly doses.
Between July 8 and 14, 1,610 pounds of illegal substances were intercepted at San Diego’s border with Mexico, including 52 pounds of fentanyl, 1,310 pounds of methamphetamine, and 235 pounds of cocaine, according to CBP Director of Field Operations Sidney Aki.