Big seizure of 127,000 fentanyl pills made in Juárez

Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times
·2 min read
4

Chihuahua state investigators made a large seizure of 127,000 fentanyl pills found in a pickup truck in Juárez, officials said.

The load of rainbow fentanyl along with a 9 mm handgun were seized Monday night after investigators stopped a man driving a black Chevrolet Silverado on Avenida de las Torres, the Chihuahua State Investigations Agency said.

The driver, Edgar Exel C.C., 41, was arrested on drug and firearm charges, his last name was not disclosed by authorities because of rules in Mexico regarding the naming of crime suspects.

Chihuahua state investigators seized 127,000 fentanyl pills found in a truck on Monday in Juarez.
Chihuahua state investigators seized 127,000 fentanyl pills found in a truck on Monday in Juarez.

Nation:'A market that is not typically exposed': DEA reports 150% jump in seizures of fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl

The fentanyl pills were pink, black, blue and red and various other colors. The counterfeit pills were imprinted with "M30," made to look like oxycodone M30 pills, also known as "Mexican oxy."

The pills were in 127 plastic bags each containing 1,000 pills, according to a state police news release.

El Paso border drug busts

Large drug loads in Juárez are often eventually destined to cross the border bound for U.S. drug markets.

Since the start of 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have intercepted more than 500 pounds of hard drugs at the El Paso-area border ports of entry, CBP said this week.

CBP seized more than 327 pounds of methamphetamine, over 139 pounds of cocaine and more than 42 pounds of fentanyl in the El Paso region. The seizures include the border crossings in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and Presidio, Texas.

Lunchmeat smuggling:Is El Paso full of baloney? CBP says seizures of pork products are on the rise

Among the largest seizures were:

  • Jan. 6: A drug-sniffing dog helped CBP officers find 135 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a vehicle at the Ysleta Port of Entry in El Paso's Lower Valley. A 25-year-old woman U.S. citizen was arrested.

  • Jan. 16: CBP found nearly 12 pounds of fentanyl at the Bridge of the Americas in a vehicle driven by a 39-year-old pregnant woman from Mexico who was traveling with her adult daughter.

  • Jan. 19: CBP officers intercepted more than 87 pounds of cocaine in the trunk of a vehicle driven by a 22-year-old Mexican citizen in the trusted traveler program at the Stanton Bridge Dedicated Commuter Lane in Downtown El Paso.

Borderland:'Little bit old for this': El Paso man, 71, arrested in border cocaine smuggling case

The names of the people arrested for drug smuggling were not disclosed. Most illegal drugs seized at the border are transported by vehicle over U.S. ports of entry.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found 87 pounds of cocaine in the trunk of a vehicle on Jan. 19 in the dedicated commuter lane at the Stanton Street Bridge in Downtown El Paso.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found 87 pounds of cocaine in the trunk of a vehicle on Jan. 19 in the dedicated commuter lane at the Stanton Street Bridge in Downtown El Paso.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Big fentanyl pills seizure made in Juárez, Mexico