PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized 113 grams of fentanyl at the Paso Del Norte crossing in El Paso.
👥 Who’s Involved: A 40-year-old female with U.S. citizenship was arrested. CBP officers, along with Homeland Security Investigations agents, were involved.
📍 Where & When: The incident occurred at the Paso Del Norte international crossing in El Paso on May 7.
💬 Key Quote: “This is an exceptionally dangerous practice and could be lethal if the packaging were to fail during transport,” said CBP El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio.
⚠️ Impact: The woman faces federal charges for attempting to smuggle drugs internally, highlighting the risks associated with such activities.
IN FULL:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Paso Del Norte international crossing in El Paso intercepted 113 grams of fentanyl concealed within a 40-year-old woman’s body on May 7. The woman, a pedestrian border crosser with U.S. citizenship, was found with the drugs hidden within her, a method deemed highly dangerous by officials.
CBP officers selected the woman for a secondary inspection just before 3 AM. During this examination, she confessed to having a foreign object concealed inside her body. Subsequently, she was taken to a medical facility, where medical staff confirmed and removed the internally concealed package filled with fentanyl. A follow-up examination revealed no further anomalies.
“This is an exceptionally dangerous practice and could be lethal if the packaging were to fail during transport,” stated CBP El Paso Port Director Ray Provencio. He emphasized the risks associated with such smuggling methods, advising against engaging in any form of smuggling activity.
After the medical procedure, the woman was returned to the port of entry, where she was arrested and handed over to Homeland Security Investigations special agents. She now faces federal charges related to the failed smuggling attempt.
The incident underscores the ongoing attempts by gangs and criminal organisations to smuggle fentanyl into the United States. While President Trump’s border policies have reduced illegal migration by over 90 percent on the southern border, issues still remain with illegal smuggling.
Fentanyl, one of the deadliest drugs on the planet, can kill in small doses. One fentanyl shipment caught by CBP agents last year saw four million pills of fentanyl seized, enough to kill 250 million Americans.
Last month, Republicans introduced legislation that would charge fentanyl dealers with felony murder if their distribution of the drug results in deaths.