The total of 2,100 pounds that was achieved in July is an increase of 202% when measured against the previous year’s numbers of 640 pounds in June and 780 pounds in July.
On Monday, the government announced that the number of fentanyl seizures had surged by more than 200% in July. This news came at a time when there is now a crisis at the border and there is widespread concern about overdose deaths.
The seizures that took place in July involved roughly 2,100 pounds of this highly fatal drug. That amount is the most amount of money that has been confiscated in at least the four most recent fiscal years. Before July, the largest amount of contraband that was found was 1,300 pounds, and it was found in April. When compared to the 640 pounds that were seized in June, the 2,100 pounds that were seized in July show an increase of 202%, and it is also more than the 780 pounds that were seized in July of the previous year.
The primary purpose of the synthetic opioid is to alleviate excruciating pain, as it is between fifty and one hundred times more powerful than morphine. At this time, the majority of fentanyl is being manufactured in Mexico from precursors that are manufactured in China and then trafficked across the southern land border.
