Texas state troopers seized 3.1 million deadly doses of fentanyl throughout a single visitors cease within the border city of Mission this week, Gov. Greg Abbott stated.
The medicine, which have a avenue worth of about $312,000, marked one of many largest seizures to this point by Operation Lone Star, which was launched by Abbott in 2021 to crack down on crime in border communities.
Police pulled over Mario Reyna Cantu, a 39-year-old Mexican nationwide, for a visitors violation whereas he was driving a black Cadillac SUV on Monday.
Throughout the cease, a trooper found 5 bundles of a white powdery substance that examined constructive for fentanyl on the scene, in addition to at a state Division of Public Security crime lab.
“Due to this single seizure, tens of millions of deadly doses of fentanyl is not going to make their method into communities throughout our state, and actually our nation, and tens of millions of lives are doubtlessly saved,” Texas DPS Director Steven McCraw stated in an announcement.
Reyna Cantu was booked into the Hidalgo County Jail on drug possession fees.
Fentanyl, a robust opioid as much as 50 instances stronger than heroin, has pushed the newest section of the opioid disaster in Texas and the remainder of the U.S.
A file 106,699 Individuals died from drug overdoses in 2021, about 70% of which concerned fentanyl, in line with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
Within the two years for the reason that begin of Operation Lone Star, state regulation enforcement has seized greater than 380 million deadly doses of fentanyl, in line with Abbott.
Fentanyl, which is available in tablet, powder, and liquid kind, is commonly minimize into different unlawful medicine, together with heroin and counterfeit drugs.
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The Texas Home of Representatives handed a invoice, 143-2, Tuesday to decriminalize fentanyl take a look at strips, a measure that proponents hope will cut back drug overdoses.
Throughout your complete southwest border, Customs and Border Safety has seized 11,000 kilos of fentanyl within the first 5 months of fiscal yr 2023, on monitor to simply eclipse the 14,700 kilos of fentanyl that had been seized in fiscal yr 2022.