Fentanyl seizures at southern border jumped over 200% in July

Seizures of the deadly drug fentanyl jumped over 200% in the month of July, according to government figures released Monday — amid a continuing border crisis and widespread concern over overdose deaths.

Over 2,100lbs of the drug, which can be fatal in small doses, were seized in July. That’s the highest amount seized in at least the last four fiscal years. The largest seizure before July was in April, where 1,300lbs were seized. The 2,100lbs seized in July is up 202% from the 640 lbs seized in June and also eclipses the 780lbs seized in July last year.

The synthetic opioid is typically used for treating severe pain and is 50-100 times more potent than morphine. Illicit fentanyl is now primarily made in Mexico from precursors manufactured in China, and then trafficked across the southern land border.

SAN DIEGO BECOMES ‘EPICENTER’ OF FENTANYL SMUGGLING AMID SPIKE IN DEATHS, DRUG SEIZURES
 

It is frequently cut with other drugs, meaning that users may often be unaware that they are ingesting the potent substance. While the increased seizures show that more of the drug is being caught by border officials — particularly at ports of entry — it has raised fears that, like illegal migrants, more may also be getting past as border traffic increases.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has previously warned of a “nationwide spike” in mass fentanyl overdoses and has said the drug is killing Americans at an “unprecedented rate.”

Of the more than 108,000 overdose deaths last year, more than 80,000 were linked with fentanyl.

US SOUTHERN BORDER SAW NEARLY 200,000 MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS IN JULY AS BORDER CRISIS ROLLS ON 

“We are seeing a transition with having the most dynamic supply environment this country’s ever seen,” Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “And what that means is we’re seeing a shift from plant-based or organic compounds, primarily, like cocaine and heroin, to synthetic compounds — compounds that you don’t need large fields and crops to produce, you don’t need a lot of time to produce. You can produce them in small clandestine labs…and these compounds are getting more lethal in smaller amounts.”

Last week, DOJ officials said that the San Diego area of California — which includes six…