Border Patrol makes record fentanyl seizure from tractor-trailer at Arizona border

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U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents made a record seizure of the lethal opioid fentanyl recently after finding 254 pounds of the drug hidden in a tractor-trailer with a load of produce.

CBP says its agents found more than 400 packages of fentanyl and methamphetamine concealed in a special floor compartment of a trailer at the Nogales, Arizona, port of entry.

The 254 pounds of fentanyl was worth approximately $3.5 million, while the 395 pounds of meth was worth approximately $1.1 million. CBP says the fentanyl seizure is the largest in the agency’s history, while the meth seizure is the third-largest at an Arizona port.

The driver of the truck, a 26-year-old Mexican national, was arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations, who charged him with two counts of possession with intent to distribute. The driver remains in federal custody.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine. According to Nogales Area Port Director Michael Humphries, a quarter milligram of fentanyl “can kill a person very quickly.”

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