Border Patrol agents in Robstown, Texas along with local law enforcement authorities discovered 25 pounds of liquid fentanyl hidden in a specialized compartment inside a vehicle’s gas tank. Officials say this quantity of liquid fentanyl is enough to kill a population of 5.665 million people — more than double the population of the city of Houston.
Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez tweeted praise over the efforts of Border Patrol agents and Nueces County Sheriff’s Office deputies in discovering the hidden narcotics. According to Chavez, the street value of the liquid fentanyl is $1.8 million.
Chief Chavez declared the seizure, “the largest amount of liquid fentanyl in the history of the USA” in her tweet. Drug traffickers often convert the liquid fentanyl into powder which is then formed into tablets for easy sale and distribution across the United States. During Fiscal Year 2022, which ended in on September 30, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 14,000 pounds of fentanyl in all its forms. Fentanyl seizures have risen nearly 200% from 2020 when 4,800 pounds were seized, according to CBP reports.
The city of Robstown is located just west of Corpus Christi and about 150 miles north of the Texas-Mexico border.
According to a recent Drug Enforcement Public Safety Alert, Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing the United States. It is a highly addictive synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, officials stated. An amount small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil is considered a potentially deadly dose. According to the DEA alert, The Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel in Mexico, using chemicals largely sourced from China, are primarily responsible for most of the fentanyl being trafficked inside the United States.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently declared these two cartels to be terrorist organizations due, in large part, to their trafficking of this deadly drug, Breitbart Texas reported. Under the governor’s Operation Lone Star, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and National Guardsmen seized more than 353 million lethal doses of fentanyl.
According to the CDC, more than 107,000 Americans died of drug poisoning in 2021, with more than half of the deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl. No information was provided concerning suspects arrested in connection to the seizure.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
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