by Jennie Taer
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the California-Mexico border recently made a single seizure of fentanyl with the potential to kill over 12 million people.
CBP officers stationed at the Calexico West Port of Entry searched a vehicle on June 6 coming in from Mexico, finding 43 packages of blue pills containing fentanyl hidden in the car’s gas tank, according to a Tuesday press release.
The seizure weighed 54.85 pounds and had an estimated street value of $658,200, according to CBP.
Two milligrams of fentanyl can be enough to kill one person, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Using the DEA’s metric, the 54.85 pounds seized would be enough to kill around 12,439,769 people.
“Our officers’ meticulous attention to detail is what continues to keep our communities safe. Smugglers will continue to try different methods of crossing contraband, but we are always one step ahead with our advanced technology,” CBP Deputy Director of Field Operations in San Diego Anne Maricich said in a statement.
Illicit fentanyl is mainly made in Mexico, according to the DEA.
The narcotic continues to come into the country, killing tens of thousands of Americans each year. In 2021, fentanyl was largely responsible for nearly 108,000 overdose deaths.
Authorities in Riverside, California, recently seized over $1.5 million worth of fentanyl-laced pills and fentanyl powder over a two-week period, the Riverside county district attorney’s office said Monday.
The Giles County Sheriff’s Department in Tennessee recently alerted the public not to pick up folded dollar bills on the ground, warning that they could contain fentanyl after two incidents.
CBP didn’t respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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Jennie Taer is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
