SAN DIEGO – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers within the San Diego Field Office (SDFO) concluded the month of April a high note by seizing 134 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of heroin, 2,716 pounds of methamphetamine, and 152 pounds of fentanyl from April 15 to April 28.
"The incidence of narcotics smuggling continues to be on the rise," said Sidney Aki, CBP Director of Field Operations for San Diego. "Through perceptive analysis and observations, discussions, and evolving patterns, our CBP officers enhance their predictive capabilities, enabling them to make expedited, well-informed decisions to disrupt transnational criminal organizations’ smuggling attempts."
The total estimated street value of the narcotics discovered by San Diego CBP officers interdicted in 84 separate incidents was approximately $7 million.
Suspects in these incidents were arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation. The narcotics and any associated vehicles used to smuggle the drugs were seized by CBP officers. The San Diego Field Office, comprised of the San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, San Diego air and seaport, Calexico East/West, Tecate, and Andrade Ports of Entry, will continue to work closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement to crack down on drug smuggling.
These seizures are the result of Operation Apollo, a holistic counter-fentanyl effort that began on October 26, 2023 in southern California, and expanded to Arizona on April 10, 2024. Operation Apollo focuses on intelligence collection and partnerships, and utilizes local CBP field assets augmented by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to boost resources, increase collaboration, and target the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.
The CDC states that more than 150 people die every day from drug overdoses related to synthetic opioids derived from fentanyl. https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/fentanyl/index.html