Tucson, Ariz. — Calling it the “largest fentanyl seizure in the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol history,” officers at the border Port of Lukeville in Arizona confiscated more than half a ton of the deadly narcotic in July.
The drug bust reflects the agency’s “unwavering determination to protect our nation and to disrupt the criminal activities of ruthless drug cartels,” according to Troy Miller, CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner. “Every day, CBP officers and agents are on our front line, using their keen instincts and the latest technology to prevent deadly drugs from entering our country and poisoning our communities.”
Officers found the 4 million blue fentanyl pills in the trailer of a pickup truck driven by a 20-year-old man from Arizona.
"This is an enormous number of dangerous drugs that officers at the Port of Lukeville prevented from reaching communities throughout the United States,” shared Guadalupe Ramirez, Director of Field Operations, Tucson Field Office.
Several days later, on July 12, officers at the same port of entry seized about 270 pounds of methamphetamine.
The estimated street value for both seizures is over $12.6 million, according to the agency.
Annie Gimbel
