U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have intercepted record amounts of Chinese-manufactured fentanyl in Arizona and Texas in recent weeks, smuggled in by Mexican cartels. It’s thought that what is being intercepted is the tip of the iceberg, however.
The powder form of fentanyl is pressed into tablets of varying and unknowable strength. A tiny amount of fentanyl can be deadly, and these black market pills have no quality control.
Fentanyl is often mixed in with other illicit drugs to increase the potency of the drug, sold as powders and nasal sprays, and increasingly pressed into pills made to look like legitimate prescription opioids, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. There is significant risk that illegal drugs have been intentionally contaminated with fentanyl. Because of its potency and low cost, drug dealers have been mixing fentanyl with other drugs including heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, increasing the likelihood of a fatal interaction.
“Producing illicit fentanyl is not an exact science. Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage. DEA analysis has found counterfeit pills ranging from .02 to 5.1 milligrams (more than twice the lethal dose) of fentanyl per tablet,” according to the Drug Enforcement Agency, which said that 42% of pills tested for fentanyl contained at least 2 mg of fentanyl, considered a potentially lethal dose.
Drug trafficking organizations typically distribute fentanyl by the kilogram. One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people, the DEA reported.
In the week leading up to Labor Day weekend, customs inspectors seized 12,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl tablets in Nogales, Arizona, on the Mexico border, and stopped 34 pounds of meth from crossing the border.
The Drug Enforcement Agency says “rainbow fentanyl” is the new method used by drug cartels to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl made to look like candy to children and young people.
A group of border guards in Texas blasted President Biden last month for not stopping the rampant flow of the dangerous drug into the Lone Star State, with one lawman saying Biden’s inaction has created a “tsunami of death,” according to the New York Post.
Law enforcement officials in Alaska say it’s only a matter of time before the candy-like drug is in Alaska, if it’s not here already. And the Department of Health has put out a warning on Facebook:
“An overdose may be closer than you think. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl which is distributed through illegal drug markets for its heroin-like effect is found in a wide variety of forms, including pills, powder, rocks, and liquids, and is commonly mixed with drugs like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine or counterfeit pills made to look like prescription drugs,” wrote the Alaska Department of Health. “Even a tiny amount of fentanyl can kill and it can be in drugs without you even knowing it. Fentanyl can be smoked, injected, or ingested. In liquid form, it can be found in nasal sprays, eye drops, and dropped onto paper or small candies. A new and particularly troubling form is rainbow-colored illegally manufactured fentanyl. It comes in many forms including pills that might look like candy and be attractive to youth. Illicit/illegal rainbow fentanyl is becoming more common in some states, so please be aware. Learn more about opioid prevention at opioids.alaska.gov.“
Overall, narcotic seizures have increased through the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2022 when compared to the previous fiscal year. To date, cocaine seizures comprise 86 percent of cocaine seizures throughout Fiscal Year 2021, and marijuana seizures through the end of June totaled 81 percent of the previous fiscal years’ seizures.
