DHS touts Operation Blue Lotus success

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel are touting Operation Blue Lotus, which has, in collaboration with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), disrupted synthetic drug trafficking.

Operation Four Horsemen, the U.S. Border Patrol’s complementary operation between ports of entry, has also been effective in addressing drug trafficking efforts.

“These operations, which have together stopped over 5,000 lbs of fentanyl in their first month, are another example of how the dedicated personnel of DHS are taking on the cartels and protecting our homeland,” said DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said. “We are matching the unprecedented challenge of fentanyl with unprecedented solutions and leveraging the full weight of this Department to do so.”

According to DHS, Operation Blue Lotus has stopped more than 4,000 pounds of fentanyl at ports of entry, where over 90 percent of fentanyl is trafficked in cars and trucks, while Operation Four Horsemen has stopped over 800 pounds of fentanyl in its first month.

In addition to fentanyl trafficking disruption, DHS indicated Operation Blue Lotus has also resulted in 156 arrests and the seizure of more than 3,500 pounds of methamphetamines and nearly 1,000 pounds of cocaine in its first month.

“CBP and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast against the threat of fentanyl and have surged additional personnel, technology, and resources along the southwest border to detect and seize this dangerous drug at and between the ports of entry,” CBP Acting Commissioner Troy A. Miller said. “Drug traffickers are constantly seeking innovative and unique ways to flood American communities with their deadly concoctions. We are fully committed to taking action against those producing this deadly poison and bringing them to justice.”