On Thursday, officers with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency seized more than half of a ton of fentanyl pills, the largest singular fentanyl seizure in the agency’s history.
The seizure of an estimated 4 million pills at the Port of Lukeville, AZ was part of Operation Apollo-Arizona and Operation Plaza Spike – initiatives by the CBP to stem the tide of fentanyl and other illegal drugs coming into the country.
“This is the largest fentanyl seizure in CBP’s history, and reflects our unwavering determination to protect our nation and to disrupt the criminal activities of ruthless drug cartels,” Troy Miller, CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner, said. “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.”
Officials said on July 1, a 20-year-old Arizona man drove to the Port of Lukeville hauling a recreational vehicle on a utility trailer. CBP officers inspecting vehicles for entry to the U.S. flagged the driver and vehicles for further inspection. During the more intensive inspection, CBP officers noticed anomalies throughout the frame of the trailer and with the assistance of a CBP canine team, discovered 234 packages of drugs concealed within it.
Officers at the same port of entry later seized about 270 pounds of methamphetamine several days later, when a 45-year-old male Mexican citizen drove a truck towing a utility trailer through the same port of entry. Inspectors and a CBP canine team discovered more than 270 pounds of methamphetamine and five pounds of cocaine.
The street value of the two seizures is over $12.6 million, officials said.
The seizures were made as part of Operation Apollo-Arizona, a counter-fentanyl joint operation, and Operation Plaza Spike, another fentanyl operation that targets plaza bosses and cartels that facilitate the flow of illicit drugs into the country.