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U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported a rise in fentanyl findings, with figures rising higher than last year’s.
"@CBP has seized more fentanyl so far in 2021 than all of 2020. Nearly 6,000 pounds. Biden has neglected to secure our border—placing the safety of our communities at risk," U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Houston) wrote.
As of April, 6,494 pounds of fentanyl were seized by CBP at the border. In 2020, 4,776 pounds were seized, with seizures on the rise since 2018. CBP seized 2,801 pounds in fentanyl in 2019 and 2,283 pounds in 2018, the agency's website states. Most of the seizures have been among U.S. citizens and in the commercial environment as both demographics are unaffected by travel restrictions.
In this fiscal year from last October to September, related officials have seized over 6,494 pounds of the drug in comparison to the 4,776 pounds that were confiscated last year. Some of the items commonly used to smuggle the synthetic opioid include burritos, fire extinguishers and vehicle parts.
"With border travel restrictions remaining in place, and traffic volumes (until recently) being down versus prior years, officers have been able to focus efforts more on enforcement activities in both the commercial and passenger environments," a CBP spokesperson told CNN in a statement. "As cross border travel shifted to essential travel only, criminal organizations shifted their operations as well."
The Drug Enforcement Agency has found that fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and has 100 times the potency of morphine. One kilogram of fentanyl carries the potential to kill 500,000 people. Overdoses have also been on the rise in the last two years, with opioids serving as the main contributor to related deaths. An accurate figure for both cases was reported between March and May 2020, the first months following the declaration of the pandemic.
"While a major entry point for fentanyl is the Southwest border, the cartels are spreading their poison into communities across the nation," said DEA Acting Administrator D. Christopher Evans in a statement in April. "Through this initiative, we're tackling a very real public health, public safety and national security threat, identifying the most egregious street-level networks in our communities and working our way up through the supply chain."
The CDC has counted more than 81,000 cases of drug overdoses in the last 12 months, the largest number ever recorded. Methamphetamine-related seizures have also spiked with reported findings climbing to 105,032 pounds so far compared to a total of 177,000 pounds in 2020.