Galveston Cruise Port Seize Fentanyl and Heroin
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
GALVESTON, TEXAS (News Release) - U.S. Customs and Border Protection today the seizure of nearly 72 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl and 96 grams of THC vape oil from a U.S. citizen at the Galveston Cruise Port following a cruise to Mexico. The individual was arrested and referred to local authorities for prosecution.
Heroin and fentanyl were seized from a cruise passenger in Galveston on Sunday, April 20th.
On Sunday, April 20th, CBP Galveston performed a baggage exam and found several vape pens with marijuana THC and several prescription pill bottles of which two contained a powdery substance. Drug tests were performed and were found to be positive for both fentanyl and heroin.
“Fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction in this country and CBP works every day to keep Americans safe from dangerous and deadly drugs,” said Acting CBP Area Port Director John Landry. “This is a significant priority for CBP and our law enforcement partners. Thanks to the vigilance of our brave and dedicated CBP officers, we continue to intercept these deadly substances at our ports of entry before they can do damage in our local communities.”
Fentanyl is one of the most deadly and destructive drugs we’ve ever seen in the United States. One kilogram of fentanyl can kill as many as 500,000 people. While used in hospitals to treat severe pain, illicit fentanyl is manufactured in clandestine foreign labs and smuggled into the United States primarily through Mexico and sold on the street illegally. Fentanyl is often mixed in with other illicit drugs to increase the potency of the drug, sold as powders and nasal sprays, and increasingly pressed into pills made to look like legitimate prescription opioids. Because there is no official oversight or quality control, these counterfeit pills often contain lethal doses of fentanyl.
It is possible for someone to take a pill without knowing it contains fentanyl. It is also possible to take a pill knowing it contains fentanyl, but with no way of knowing if it contains a lethal dose.
According to the CDC, synthetic opioids (like fentanyl) are the primary driver of overdose deaths in the United States. Unless a drug is prescribed by a licensed medical professional and dispensed by a legitimate pharmacy, you can't know if it’s fake or legitimate. And without laboratory testing, there’s no way to know the amount of fentanyl in an individual pill or how much may have been added to another drug. This is especially dangerous because of fentanyl's potency, which can be as little as 1-2 milligrams.
