Arizona sheriff discusses southern border drug problem at coroner's symposium

Frank Andruscavage, Republican & Herald, Pottsville, Pa.
·3 min read
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Apr. 22—NEW PHILADEPHIA — Sheriff Mark J. Dannels, of Cochise County, Arizona, spoke Saturday morning about the massive amounts of illegal narcotics coming over the southern border and how they are filtering their way throughout the United States.

The presentation was part of the Schuylkill County Coroner's Office ninth annual Forensic Symposium at the Simon Kramer Cancer Institute.

In an attempt to battle the influx, Dannels said his department installed more than 1,200 high-tech, solar-powered cameras along the border between Arizona and Mexico.

Last year alone, Dannels said, the cameras captured images of 66,000 migrants crossing into the United States.

Migrants, however, are not the main problem, he said. The problem, Dannels said, is cartel members and their sophisticated operations to bring fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana into the United States.

"Cartels are playing in our backyard; cartels infiltrate rural counties along the border," he said.

The drug problem has been increasing since 2018-19.

In 2019, Dannels said, 2,600 pounds of fentanyl were confiscated, but in 2022, that number jumped to 14,000 pounds.

"Tell me we don't have a problem," he said. "We have people entering the United States and are never seen again."

A dangerous and often fatal drug, fentanyl is responsible for an increasing number of deaths throughout the country, and the problem is not getting any better, Dannels said.

"Three hundred people a day are dying on fentanyl overdoses," he said. "Narcan is a Band-Aid."

Narcan is a drug given to individuals who overdose on opioids to counteract the effects of fentanyl and heroin, among others.

In Cochise County alone in 2022, 6,620 illegal aliens were detected on the camera system, and about 25,500 were apprehended, Donnels said.

Over 109 pounds of methamphetamine were seized and 1,306 cases of human smuggling events investigated, along with 882 human smugglers and 89 juvenile smugglers.

Dannels said authorities seized 40 weapons and investigated incidents in which 601 people were feloniously victimized.Knowing the drugs are filtering their way north in the United States affects every law enforcement officer in the country.

"We have to protect the people — we're in this together," he said. "There's no longer a safe mode."

Although he was critical of the Biden administration, Dannels said politics is only part of the problem of failing to take action.

"I didn't travel 2,000 miles to talk politics. I came here to talk about reality," he said.

Dannels said he is a proponent of finishing the wall protecting the southern borders and putting a dent on the illegal narcotics trade.

"Drugs are being distributed," he said. "Ninety percent of illegal drugs come through this southern border."

Schuylkill County Coroner Dr. David J. Moylan agreed with Dannels and said the United States is in a "fentanyl crisis."

Also giving presentations were Detective Kim Lippencott, presenting "Monroe County Crime Scene Investigation," Grace Coffin, presenting "Schuylkill County Suicide Prevention," and Virginia Kreiger, who spoke on "Lost Voices of Fentanyl."

James Nettles, Foster Twp. police chief and a retired state police criminal investigator, discussed the topic of death investigations, while Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner Erin Cuff presented a talk entitled "Designer Drugs."

The daylong program concluded with Moylan giving a presentation entitled "Coroner's Casebook — The Role of the Post Mortem Composed Tomography."

Contact the writer: fandruscavage@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6013