In its first week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Operation Blue Lotus nabbed more than 900 pounds of fentanyl at the border in a major cooperative effort by federal, state, Tribal, and local partners.
“This Administration has a multi-pronged strategy to combat the scourge of fentanyl that is devastating communities across the United States, and the Department of Homeland Security works every day to prevent it from coming across our border,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. “In the past two years, DHS has seized more fentanyl than the previous five years combined. But we must do more. Operation Blue Lotus is a DHS-led, coordinated surge effort to curtail the flow of illicit fentanyl smuggled into the United States from Mexico and bring to justice the dangerous criminal organizations profiting from the illegal production, distribution, and sale of this dangerous substance.”
The operation officially launched last week, on March 13. Since then, agents made 18 seizures, 16 federal arrests, and two state arrests. In addition to the fentanyl seizures, it also led to the seizure of more than 700 pounds of methamphetamines and more than 100 pounds of cocaine. These efforts were undertaken through the collaborative efforts of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), along with their federal, state, Tribal, and local partners.
Blue Lotus uses advanced analytics and intelligence capabilities through its federal agency leaders. As an extension of it, DHS will deploy HSI personnel alongside CBP officers at ports of entry to allow for immediate investigations into contraband. Such investigations will take place at CBP’s Forward Operating Labs at ports of entry, allowing for real-time analysis of unknown substances and quicker results.
“This is one of many efforts HSI is taking alongside partners as part of an overarching strategy to combat illegal drugs like fentanyl,” Tae Johnson, ICE’s deputy director and senior official performing the duties of the director, said. “We continue to seize record quantities of narcotics and will continue to use dynamic approaches to stem the flow of deadly substances within our borders.”
With the information gained through Operation Blue Lotus investigations, the federal government intends to build criminal cases against transnational criminal organizations facilitating the spread of deadly drugs. This work also builds on existing DHS operations targeting fentanyl, its chemical precursors, and its supply chain, along with the efforts of HSI/CBP taskforce units at international mail facilities and similar sites and investments into non-intrusive inspection technology meant to expand screening at ports of entry.