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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Lukeville in Tuscon, Arizona recently made the largest singular fentanyl seizure in CBP history.
The seizure resulted in the confiscation of approximately 4 million blue fentanyl pills weighing more than 1,000 pounds.
The bust occurred when a 20-year-old Arizona man, who is a citizen of the United States, pulled up to the Port of Lukeville driving a 2011 pickup truck hauling a sport recreational vehicle on a utility trailer, a CBP press release reveals.
After inspecting the vehicle, CBP officers pulled the driver and vehicles aside for a more thorough look.
During that secondary inspection, the agents “noticed anomalies throughout the frame of the trailer.”
Using a canine team, they discovered 234 packages containing approximately 4 million blue fentanyl pills concealed within the frame of a trailer.
“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,” said Troy Miller, CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner. “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.”
Port of #Lukeville, #AZ makes the largest fentanyl seizure in @CBP OFO history, 4 MILLION FENTANYL PILLS, weighing over 1,000 LBS were seized. The drugs were discovered concealed in the frame of a utility trailer. Outstanding work by team Lukeville! pic.twitter.com/KsjIhu2kPo
— Director of Field Operations Guadalupe H. Ramirez (@DFOTucson) July 30, 2024
The massive fentanyl seizure, combined with another seizure a few days later at the Port of Lukeville of nearly 272 pounds of methamphetamine and five pounds of cocaine, removed over $12.6 million worth of illegal drugs from potential circulation in the United States.
In related news, Customs and Border Protection officers at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas also seized over $835K in alleged illegal marijuana that was discovered hidden within a commercial shipment on July 29.
The illegal weed was found after officers pulled over a tractor hauling a shipment of auto parts for secondary inspection. Using CBP canines, the officers discovered 16 packages containing over 373 pounds of marijuana hidden inside the shipment.