SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (KRQE) — Fentanyl is killing 150 Americans a day. Now, Border Patrol is beefing up their strategy to stop it coming into New Mexico.
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“If you are making or moving fentanyl across our borders, if you are responsible for smuggling and exploiting people, and if you are profiting from the suffering of others, we know who you are and we are bringing the full force of the federal government to shut you down,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection Troy Miller.
That’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s message to the criminal organizations bringing drugs and crime across the U.S.-Mexico border. In El Paso on Thursday, CBP mentioned at a press conference some new initiatives they hope will make communities safer.
“Fentanyl is a deadly narcotic that is tearing families apart. To fight this, we are a part of Operation Apollo X and Operation Plaza Spikes. These initiatives gather intelligence on how criminal networks smuggle fentanyl across our borders,” said United States Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent, El Paso Sector Anthony Good.
The operations are expanding to the El Paso sector including New Mexico. They will team up with federal, state, and local partners along the southwest border to target cartels who are bringing fentanyl into the country.
The operations will lead to more resources for the agencies, including more x-ray scanning units to look inside vehicles coming across the border. It will also help identify criminals through a hotline where the public can share tips.
“CBP’s counter fentanyl operation Apollo X will undoubtedly further enhance all our ongoing port enforcement efforts towards detecting, deterring, and degrading any transnational criminal organizations attempts of introducing fentanyl,” said Hector Mancha the Director of Field Operations at the El Paso Field Office for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
CBP said fentanyl intercepts are up 17% in the El Paso sector.
“This year so far the port of entry ceased over 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine. This amount has already surpassed the amount for all of last year,” said Mancha.
From 2022 to 2023, across the southwest border, CBP says seizures of fentanyl have almost doubled. In the last two days, nearly 200 pounds of narcotics with 40 of that being fentanyl along the El Paso sector have been confiscated.
