Ciudad Juárez.- With 4,440 pounds (2,013.95 kilograms), United States Border Patrol agents exceeded by 29.10 percent the amount of drugs seized in the El Paso Sector during the first eleven months of fiscal year (FY) 2024 , compared to the 3,439 pounds (1,559.9 kilos) seized in the same period of fiscal year 2023.
The amount of narcotics discovered mainly at immigration checkpoints along the nearly 432 kilometers between New Mexico and Texas with Chihuahua that comprise the El Paso Sector, is also 89.73 percent higher than the 2,340.1 pounds (1,061.45 kilos) secured during the first eleven months of FY-2022.
According to official statistics from the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), although fewer cases of seizures were recorded in FY-2024, the quantities of drugs were higher, since According to the periods purchased in FY-2022 there were 553 events, in FY-2023 there were 393 and in FY-2024 there were 254 discoveries.
The last case reported by the Border Patrol of the El Paso Sector was announced on Saturday, September 28, when anti-smuggling agents assigned to the Deming station discovered a migrant of Mexican origin circulating through New Mexico with methamphetamine and a firearm in his vehicle.
In August, the authority in charge of monitoring the border with Mexico outside the official ports of entry to the United States also reported the seizure of 168 kilograms of drugs.
“Fentanyl is a powerful and deadly substance, which is often smuggled across borders, putting countless lives at risk. The Border Patrol is on the front lines, working tirelessly to stop its flow. Let’s support their efforts and raise awareness about the dangers,” the US government reported on August 21.
According to official statistics, from October 2023 to August 2024, Border Patrol agents seized 61 pounds of fentanyl in El Paso, while from October 2022 to August 2023, 6 pounds were seized, and 68 in AF- 2022.
The cocaine seized totaled 463 pounds until last August, while in all of FY-2023 there were 153 and in all of FY-2022 there were 115 pounds discovered.
The marijuana discovered one month before the end of FY-2024 also already exceeded all that insured in the two previous fiscal years, since the figure increased from 1,757 pounds in FY-2022 to 2,143 in FY-2023 and 3 1,261 pounds in FY-2024.
