WASHINGTON (CN) — The Department of Homeland Security announced plans Thursday for an expanded effort to curb fentanyl trafficking at the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the first two months of the campaign, law enforcement made 284 arrests and say they stopped the entry of nearly 10,000 pounds of fentanyl.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas touted what he called the unprecedented intelligence and investigative work being undertaken by his agency and its partners across the government.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has become the leading cause of death for Americans between ages 18 to 49. It has saturated the illegal drug market as traffickers have embraced it as a high-potency additive that boosts profits by cutting costs without reducing supply.
Meanwhile the Biden administration has faced pressure to beef up security and enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly since the Trump-era Title 42 border policy ended in May. Adopted in the early weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic, the policy cited public health as a basis for expelling migrants before they can seek asylum. In the intervening three years, it was used more than 2 million times.
On the heels of the two-month campaign, Homeland Security is launching two new operations as part of an interagency effort targeting the fentanyl supply chain.
Operation Artemis, led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations, will use intelligence from previous operations to target trafficking. The second effort, Operation Rolling Wave, will boost inspections at border crossings, where 90% of fentanyl is trafficked primarily in cars and trucks. Officials did not indicate exactly how many personnel will be sent to the border.
“The men and women of CBP, together with our partners, are working on the front lines of the fight against fentanyl – aggressively targeting and disrupting drug trafficking organizations at the source,” CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller said in a press release. “The new operations will build on the successful pairing of law enforcement partnerships and technological advancements to keep these devastating drugs out of our communities.”
Policymakers were concerned for months that the expiration of the Title 42 policy would drive a surge of border crossings and an increase in drug trafficking. The White House announced the establishment of immigration processing centers in Latin America to intercept potential migrants before they reach the U.S. while also deploying 1,500 active-duty troops in the spring.
The Justice Department meanwhile announced sweeping indictments of members of the Sinaloa drug cartel and distributors in the United States. The State Department has also sanctioned entities in Mexico and China connected to fentanyl production and trafficking.
“Cartels have been producing synthetic drugs for years, and the DHS workforce is unwavering in its dedication to stopping them,” Mayorkas said in the release. “In the past two years, DHS seized more fentanyl than in the previous five years combined, and these operations are an example of how we are broadening that effort.”
Homeland Security plans to announce the results of its operations in the coming weeks.
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