U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Wednesday that officers at an Arizona port of entry arrested a 19-year-old man attempting to smuggle nearly 492,000 blue fentanyl pills across the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to CBP, on Friday, Jan. 12, officers at the Douglas, Arizona port of entry referred a 19-year-old male U.S. citizen for further inspection of his pickup truck as he attempted to enter the U.S.
Upon searching the pickup truck, officers discovered 500 packages of blue pills which were concealed in a compartment in the bed of the truck.
Initial testing of the pills was positive for fentanyl, and the total weight of the packages was just under 123 pounds — equating to approximately 492,000 pills — CBP stated.
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The 19-year-old male suspect was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigrant and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
“Continued layered enforcement actions and our entire team’s joint efforts are key to fulfilling our mission of protecting the homeland,” Douglas Area Port Director Martin Gomez said Wednesday. “Our officers are keeping deadly drugs off our streets.”
