190 Pounds of Fentanyl Seized at Arizona Immigration Checkpoint
Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents seized more than 190 pounds of fentanyl at an interior immigration checkpoint.
Retiring U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz tweeted photos from an immigration checkpoint near Yuma, Arizona. The images, taken last week, show more than 190 pounds hidden behind the rear seats of the alleged smuggler’s vehicle.
As the vehicle approached the Interstate 8 immigration checkpoint on May 30, a Border Patrol K-9 alerted to the possible presence of drugs in the pickup truck. A physical search of the vehicle led to the discovery of plastic-wrapped packages of drugs.
Chief Ortiz reported that the 190 pounds of fentanyl are enough to provide more than 40 million lethal doses.
Yuma Sector Chief Patrol Agent Patricia McGurk-Daniel reported the value of the drugs to be more than $2 million.
A few days later, Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers seized more than 229 pounds of fentanyl pills. The troopers found the drugs during a traffic stop on Interstate 19 near Amado, Arizona.
Border Patrol Agent Fidel Cabrera told KYMA, “It’s one of the largest if not the largest [fentanyl seizure] we’ve had here in Yuma.”
Between October 1, 2022, and April 30, 2023, Yuma Sector agents apprehended 289 pounds of fentanyl, according to a CBP report. This seven-month total nearly equals the total seizures of fentanyl for the past three years combined. Adding in the seizure above brings this year’s total to approximately 480 pounds compared to 336 pounds for the prior three years combined. The seizure by Arizona DPS cited above will not be included in the CBP reports.
Agents in the San Diego Sector also seized 112 pounds of fentanyl pills on Interstate 8 near Pine Valley, California, on May 18, Breitbart Texas reported. During FY23, San Diego Sector agents seized 866 pounds of fentanyl through the end of April, the CBP report states. During the same period last year, agents seized nearly 420 pounds of the deadly drug.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
112 Pounds of Fentanyl Seized near Border in California
San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents seized approximately 112 pounds of fentanyl. The seizure followed a traffic stop on Interstate 8 near the Pine Valley checkpoint on May 18.
San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke tweeted photos of bundles of blue fentanyl pills seized by Campo Station agents near the Interstate 8 checkpoint. The fentanyl weighed approximately 112 pounds.
Campo Station agents conducted an immigration inspection traffic stop on Interstate 8 near Pine Valley, California, on May 18, according to a statement from Border Patrol officials. During the stop, a Border Patrol K-9 team conducted a walk-around search of the vehicle. The K-9 alerted to the possible presence of drugs in the SUV.
The agents transported the driver, a U.S. citizen, and the vehicle to the nearby immigration checkpoint for a physical search of the vehicle. During the search, the agents found nine plastic-wrapped packages containing blue pills.
The pills tested positive for fentanyl, officials stated. Agents determined the weight of the pills to be 112 pounds with an estimated street value of more than $1.5 million.
The agents turned the driver over to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. The Drug Enforcement Administration took possession of the fentanyl pills.
“Transnational criminal organizations do everything they can to distribute these harmful narcotics and earn their profits with no regard for the destructive effects they have on our communities,” San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke said in a written statement. “Our Border Patrol agents remain vigilant, day and night, to intercept these poisons and the smugglers who transport them.”
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
Armed Cartel Gunmen Arrested in Texas near Border, Says DPS
Department of Public Safety troopers working the border region near Fronton, Texas, encountered a group of armed migrants. The troopers seized two tactical rifles found in the possession of the migrants.
DPS spokesman Lt. Chris Olivarez told Breitbart Texas that troopers and National Guard soldiers working the border under Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star border security mission, apprehended a group of five migrants last week — two were armed with AR-15-style rifles.
Texas law enforcement teams working the border near Fronton search the brush after finding a group of armed men believed to be cartel members. (Texas Department of Public Safety)
The men are believed to be connected to the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas, Olivarez stated. “One of the men told CID special agents they came under fire from Mexican law enforcement and fled across the Rio Grande,” Olivarez stated. All of the men were found wearing camouflage making the search to find them more difficult.
Border Patrol agents from the Laredo Sector and Texas law enforcement conducted a search of the area where the first group was found. During the search, the team found two more migrants — both juveniles. Law enforcement sources said the juveniles looked afraid from what they had encountered on the Mexican side of the river.
A search of the area where suspected armed cartel members were found led to the discovery of two juveniles. (Texas Department of Public Safety)
Olivarez said this is a prime example of the consequences of an unsecured border. These include threats to national security and public safety.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
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