Arizona officers seize 1.57M fentanyl pills

Border patrol officers seized more than 100 pounds of cocaine, heroin, and other illicit pills in Arizona on Monday. The drugs were packed in the floorboards and under the seats of an 18-wheeler, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. Authorities have not identified any suspects or where the truck was headed. The day before, officers also seized more than 15,000 fentanyl pills that looked like brightly colored candy. 

Is there a trend? U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the number of fentanyl seizures jumped to 2,100 in July from a previous peak of 1,300 in April. The yearly average has almost doubled every year since 2019. Last year ended with 11,200 seizures and this year has already hit 10,600. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in May that deaths associated with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids increased by 23 percent last year. The Drug Enforcement Administration said illegally-produced fentanyl is primarily manufactured in Mexico from Chinese ingredients.

Dig deeper: Read Emily Belz’s report about how parents who lost children to overdoses are finding ways to help other young people break free from addiction.