TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Lukeville achieved the largest fentanyl seizure in CBP history, confiscating approximately 4 million blue fentanyl pills weighing over 1,000 pounds. This record-breaking seizure underscores CBP’s dedication to safeguarding the nation and disrupting drug cartel activities.
Troy Miller, CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner, stated, “This historic seizure reflects our unwavering determination to protect our nation and to disrupt the criminal activities of ruthless drug cartels. 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.”
On July 1, a 20-year-old U.S. citizen from Arizona attempted to enter the U.S. at the Port of Lukeville, driving a 2011 pickup truck towing a sport recreational vehicle on a utility trailer. During a detailed inspection, CBP officers, aided by a canine team, detected anomalies in the trailer frame and discovered 234 packages containing approximately 4 million fentanyl pills.
Guadalupe Ramirez, Director of Field Operations at the Tucson Field Office, praised the Port of Lukeville team for this significant accomplishment. “This is an enormous amount of dangerous drugs that officers at the Port of Lukeville prevented from reaching communities throughout the United States,” he said.
Just days later, on July 12, officers at the same port seized about 270 pounds of methamphetamine and an additional five pounds of cocaine from a 45-year-old Mexican citizen driving a 2007 Ford F-150 pickup truck towing a utility trailer. This second seizure involved 39 packages of methamphetamine, totaling nearly 272 pounds, discovered during an in-depth examination utilizing non-intrusive inspection (NII) technology and a CBP canine team.
The combined street value of these two significant seizures exceeds $12.6 million.
These record-breaking seizures were made under Operation Apollo-Arizona and Operation Plaza Spike. Operation Apollo-Arizona focuses on counter-fentanyl efforts, emphasizing intelligence collection and disrupting drug and chemical supplies through law enforcement collaboration. Operation Plaza Spike targets the cartel bosses and operations that facilitate the flow of fentanyl and other illicit synthetic drugs, aiming to disrupt their logistics in critical territories.
Federal law allows officers to charge individuals by complaint, a method that permits the filing of charges for criminal activity without implying guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. CBP’s Office of Field Operations is responsible for anti-terrorism missions at the nation’s ports, screening all entries while facilitating legitimate trade and travel. Their duties also include narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.–News Desk