(NewsNation) — Cartels are using legitimate ports of entry at the southern border to smuggle illegal drugs into the U.S., and the millions of pills seized by officials are just a fraction of what is making it across the border into American cities.
Officials report 51.4% of all the fentanyl entering the U.S. is coming through Arizona, with about half of that coming from the southeast corner of the state.
At a close second, California is responsible for 46.3% of the fentanyl entering the U.S. Texas and New Mexico barely register with just 1% of drug seizures, according to data from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The new DEA data shows more than 20 million pills were seized in Maricopa County in 2022, about three and a half hours north of the border.
This means millions of pills made it past multiple ports, checkpoints and other layers of law enforcement.
More than 40 million pills have been seized just at the port in Nogales, Arizona, since Oct. 1, according to port director Michael Humphries. This is nearly double the number of pills seized in the entire country last year.
But border officials say only a small fraction of the drugs are being seized by officers.
“When it comes to what’s coming through the Tucson sector, which we are a part of, we’re only touching it. I can promise you we are only touching it,” Sheriff Mark Dannels of Cochise County said.
“It means it’s getting through us, there’s no doubt. I mean everybody talks about that wearing a badge. It’s getting through us because we have limited resources,” Dannels added.
This comes as the Tuscon sector is being overwhelmed by foot traffic and several checkpoints law enforcement considers critical in intercepting drugs, remain closed due to a lack of manpower.
Now, Border Patrol agents and local sheriff’s officers seeing the effects of the drugs first-hand are asking for help.
According to the United States Sentencing Commission, over 2,600 arrests for fentanyl trafficking were made in 2022, up 116% from 2020.