Federal authorities continue to seize fentanyl and weapons at Canada-U.S. border as crisis continues

(The Center Square) – Federal agents working at ports of entry in northern U.S. cities and small towns along the U.S.-Canada border continue to thwart illegal activity.

Federal agents working in Detroit, Chicago, Cincinnati and a small North Dakota border town continue to intercept fentanyl, guns, fake e-cigarettes and illegal prescription drugs stemming from the border crisis.

In Detroit, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Field Operations agents seized nearly six pounds of fentanyl during a crackdown at the Fort Street Cargo Center.

It is the largest seizure of its kind for the Port of Detroit, and one of the largest seizures of fentanyl entering the northern border in the past five years, according to CBP.

As CBP officers inspected international mail, a K-9 dog detected the synthetic opioid, discovering a package containing several plastic bags of pills.

The pills were tested and identified as fentanyl.

With two milligrams considered a lethal dose, they seized enough fentanyl to kill more than 1.3 million people.

Further north, in the Grand Forks CBP sector in Pembina County, North Dakota, Border Patrol agents working with a K9 discovered three backpacks filled with abandoned firearms.

They found them after responding to a report of suspicious activity west of the Neche Port of Entry in North Dakota.

Once they arrived, “they observed two individuals fleeing from the area towards Canada,” border police said.

Officers continued to search the area and, with the assistance of their dog, Odin, found abandoned backpacks containing a significant quantity of firearms.

They seized 65 handguns, 65 pistol magazines, two rifles, a silencer and two rifle magazines.

“Bulk firearm seizures are a rare occurrence in the Grand Forks Sector, but it is a humbling reminder of the critical importance of our mission,” said Grand Forks Sector Patrol Chief Constable Scott Garrett.

“There is currently no threat to the community,” the Border Patrol said, but “they encourage everyone to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.”

Reports can be made anonymously. Residents are encouraged to call 1-800-982-4077, “24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

They can also email information to [email protected].

Community involvement has been essential for Border Patrol agents working in remote areas along the northern border, The Center Square reported.

The lack of operational control at the northern border poses a threat to national security, experts told Center Square.

They issued the warnings after the largest number of illegal border crossers, including the largest number of known or suspected terrorists, were apprehended at the northern border in U.S. history under the Biden administration.

In Chicago, CBP agents recently seized 53,700 illegal electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) shipped from China to a Mississippi wholesaler, with an estimated retail value of more than $1 million.

They found that a shipment of 179 boxes was mislabeled as electronic atomizers but full of vaping pens, in violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which regulates consumer goods.

CBP officers, working with Food & Drug Administration officials, determined that the products were adulterated and imported by an unauthorized agent.

Mislabeling the contents as electronic atomizers is “a common practice used to smuggle unapproved merchandise into the United States,” CBP said, adding that they were likely sent to a wholesaler for broader distribution nationwide.

Last month, the FDA announced the creation of a new multi-agency federal task force to combat the illegal distribution and sale of e-cigarettes.

Another product that CBP and FDA discovered was being illegally imported is an FDA-approved prescription drug used to treat type 2 diabetes and weight loss, Ozempic.

Importation of Ozempic into the United States is prohibited without FDA authorization and oversight.

At the Port of Cincinnati, CBP officers have seized a record 11 shipments of unauthorized Ozempic originating from Columbia this calendar year so far.

CBP officers first detected shipments of prefilled pens containing Ozempic originating from Colombia in February.

The shipments are primarily destined for New York, Massachusetts and Texas, with a combined estimated value of $887,000.

“Unfortunately, very few online pharmacies comply with U.S. pharmacy standards,” CBP said.

“This poses health risks to consumers who purchase what they believe to be a genuine product at a much lower price.”

“Prescription drugs that are smuggled from outside the United States, especially injectable products that should be sterile, can pose a serious health risk to those who use them. These drugs have not undergone proper importation procedures and may contain unknown or dangerous ingredients,” said Dan Solis, FDA’s deputy commissioner for importation operations.

Chicago Field Operations Director LaFonda Sutton-Burke said there has been “an increase in online sales of illegal medications from foreign entities that are not following the rules. … Stopping the illegal shipments of Ozempic saves consumers a substantial amount of money and potentially dangerous health risks.”