Editor’s note: This story has been edited to clarify that multiple agencies seized the fentanyl.
(NewsNation) — For years, a rise in border trafficking of illegal drugs, including fentanyl, was behind one of the most dangerous epidemics in United States history, but new data suggests the worst may be over.
Last year, federal authorities seized more than 1,700 pounds of fentanyl per month, compared to only 746 pounds a month so far this year. That’s a drop of more than half, if the pace holds.
Fentanyl seizures down 30% at US border: Report
Fentanyl seizures have decreased by 30% at the border compared with the same period last year, the Washington Post reported. A source in Mexico told NewsNation the drop in seizures indicates the U.S. government has been successful in putting pressure on its neighbor to the south to crack down on fentanyl production.
The Trump administration has made fentanyl trafficking a national security issue and has threatened Mexico with tariffs. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded by deploying 10,000 troops to her country’s northern border.
In the Border Patrol, K-9s are being trained to detect fentanyl. The director of the BPK9 Academy, Stephen Crump, told NewsNation that expanding K-9s’ abilities will help contribute to the nation’s safety.
“The K-9 community for the United States Border Patrol has been the best of the best for 30-something years, and now we’re even adding on to that,” Crump said.
The agency is also planning to add more than 300 K-9s in the next fiscal year. These K-9s are being trained to detect drugs and people who are being smuggled into the country.
‘Largest fentanyl bust’ in US history spans 5 states: Pam Bondi
At the beginning of May, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the “largest fentanyl bust in our nation’s history,” which spanned across New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Oregon and took six months to complete.
Agents were able to recover:
- 11.5 kilos of fentanyl, including around 3 million fentanyl-laced pills that were labeled as oxycodone
- 35 kilos of methamphetamine
- 7.5 kilos of cocaine
- 4.5 kilos of heroin
- 49 rifles and pistols
US, Mexican authorities cooperating on drug busts
With the U.S. and Mexico cooperating in the field, the Sinaloa Cartel has faced multiple hurdles. U.S. and Mexican federal agencies recently dismantled three large-scale synthetic drug production labs in Sinaloa, Mexico.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, recently praised Mexico for busting a fentanyl super lab that was producing 2 metric tons of the drug each week. The lab was dismantled, and authorities seized $80 million in product.
The cooperation has added renewed pressure on cartels to produce less of the synthetic opioid, so they can avoid the attention of the U.S. government. The Sinaloa Cartel is involved in a civil war between two factions, another factor in the drop in fentanyl seizures.
Although the tide appears to be turning at the border, fentanyl remains inexpensive and widely available in the United States.