Nearly 17 pounds of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine were found hidden in the exhaust of a car en route from Mexico to the United States last week, according to Customs and Border Protection, which seized the illegal drugs at the border.
CBP officers arrested a 28-year-old man at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego at 4:30 a.m. local time and inspected his sedan with a canine team that alerted officers to the presence of narcotics. Upon a second inspection, they found irregularities in the exhaust pipe underneath the car.
Inside were 10 packages containing 16.9 pounds of drugs: 4.62 pounds of fentanyl powder, 7.71 pounds of black heroin, 2.46 pounds of brown powder heroin and 2.11 pounds of cocaine.
CBP
The seizure is part of CBP’s Operation Apollo, a counter-fentanyl effort in California and Arizona that brings together multiple law enforcement agencies to target drug traffickers attempting to enter the United States.
According to the DEA, just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on tolerance, usage and the size of the person. More than 2 kilograms of fentanyl were found in the car, according to CBP.
Fentanyl is a synthetic drug that can be used to treat patients with pain, but it is 100 times more potent than morphine and is a Schedule II substance.
Illicit fentanyl comes primarily from labs in Mexico and is smuggled into the United States. Manufactured illicit fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs to increase its potency, meaning it often contains lethal doses.
Between July 8 and 14, a total of 1,610 pounds of illegal drugs were intercepted at San Diego’s border with Mexico, including 52 pounds of fentanyl, 1,310 pounds of methamphetamine and 235 pounds of cocaine, according to CBP Field Operations Director Sidney Aki.
