Over 1.2 Million Fentanyl Pills Intercepted by Arizona CBP Agents

U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Arizona's Nogaels port of entry seized 14,000 fentanyl pills hidden inside crutches on Aug. 23, 2022. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has in the last week seized over 1.2 million fentanyl pills and other drugs hidden inside a truck, crutches, and a woman’s body cavity making their way into the United States.

Since Aug. 20, the number of fentanyl pills intercepted by CBP agents as individuals attempted to smuggle them into the United States ranges from the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands or more—at just one service port in Arizona.

CBP Nogales Area Port Director Michael W. Humphries has announced a number of interceptions since Saturday, in which over 1.2 million fentanyl pills were found by agents.

On Thursday, Humphries said that CBP agents at Nogales had on Wednesday intercepted around 16,000 fentanyl pills and other illicit drugs hidden in a truck heading for the United States.

“CBP officers [at] the Nogales, AZ POE discovered approximately 16,000 fentanyl pills and 11 pounds of methamphetamines hidden in a vehicle compartment,” Humphries said on Twitter. “A CBP K9 team and CBP officers joined forces to prevent these drugs from being distributed throughout the country.”

14,000 Fentanyl Pills Found in Crutches

The day before, Humphries said that agents found around 14,000 fentanyl pills hidden inside crutches that were “being used by a pedestrian” on Tuesday.

“During inspection, a CBP Officer found the crutches to be excessively heavy,” Humphries said. He added that a “K9 and X-Ray examination confirmed the agents’ suspicions.”

Meanwhile, on Monday, CBP agents seized around 2,000 fentanyl pills that had been stuffed into two condoms after a K9 inspection.

One of the condoms was hidden inside a woman’s “vaginal cavity” and the other in the “groin area,” Humphries said.

“Body carriers including internal body carriers are regularly encountered at the port of entry,” he added.

1.27 Million Fentanyl Pills Found in Truck

By far the largest number of illicit pills and other drugs seized was on Saturday, when Nogales CBP agents inspected an 18-wheeler tractor trailer.

Hidden inside the trailer floor, authorities found around 1.27 million fentanyl pills and 104 pounds of cocaine, according to Humphries.

Meanwhile, in the vehicle floor, agents found around 300,000 fentanyl pills, two pounds of fentanyl powder, 13 pounds of heroin, and 10 pounds of cocaine.

US Drug Epidemic

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has warned that even one fentanyl pill “can kill“ as the deadly drug has been cited behind a growing number of overdoses.

In San Francisco, it killed more than twice as many people as COVID-19 in 2020 during the height of the pandemic.

Among dangerous narcotics, fentanyl has been found to be one of the most deadly. The drug is similar to morphine or heroin, but it is 50 to 100 times more powerful.

According to the DEA, criminal drug networks are pushing mass-produced fake pills often laced with fentanyl and methamphetamines into the country.

Families Against Fentanyl, an opioid awareness organization, released an analysis that found that overdose is the number one killer of people aged 18–45 in the United States.

More people died from the drug than from gun homicides, car accidents, and suicides in 2021, according to the analysis.

Mexico and China are the main source countries for fentanyl trafficking directly into the United States, according to a 2020 DEA Intelligence Report (pdf).