California Sheriff: Fentanyl Pouring In Through Southern Border One Of Nation's 'Biggest Issues'

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor, The Center Square California

Sep 9, 2022

(The Center Square) – Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux says victims of drug trafficking are dying every day in California.

“One every eight minutes, an American dies of a fentanyl overdose," Boudreaux told Fox News. "Pills coming across our southern border is absolutely one of the biggest issues we are facing as a country."

“I don’t understand when we close our schools, we close our small businesses due to COVID,” he continued, “but yet our border remains open” and fentanyl is freely coming across it. “It completely makes no sense to anyone in law enforcement.”

So far this year, more than 7,300 pounds of fentanyl has been seized at the southern border by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents alone. This excludes data from state and local law enforcement.

Boudreaux says he doesn’t see the flow of illicit drugs pouring into the U.S. from the southern border stopping until state legislatures and “people in government take it seriously.”

He said leaders who portray police officers as the bad guy have it backwards.

“When we’re looking at cops and police officers across this country being seen as the criminal, it’s time that we reverse the role. Criminals are not the victim,” he said. “The people being exposed to this type of drug are children. I am amazed by the families that are impacted by fentanyl each and every day but yet our borders are open.”

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Randy Grossman said that San Diego “has become the epicenter of fentanyl trafficking into the United States.”

He told Fox News that more than 60% of the fentanyl that’s been seized nationwide has been seized in San Diego and Imperial counties. "Last year, 817 people died from fentanyl in Imperial County alone," he said.

His office is also increasingly prosecuting fentanyl related offenses – "an increase of 1600% in the past five years," he said.

“We are targeting everyone that’s involved in the distribution network of this dangerous and deadly drug, from the cartel operatives distributing the drug to gang members to those using social media to sell pills laced with fentanyl to unsuspecting Americans," he said.

“Those who are involved in selling or distributing fentanyl that results in the death of somebody else, they’re looking at a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison,” Grossman said. “We will relentlessly pursue justice for the victims killed by fentanyl."

According to CBP data, "as of Aug. 15, more than 5,000 pounds of fentanyl had been seized in FY2022 by CBP agents in the two California counties alone. In three years, seizures have increased by 323% and by 272% in San Diego and Imperial counties, respectively."

"More than 10,586 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the southern border in fiscal 2021 by CBP agents, up from the 4,558 pounds seized in fiscal 2020 and 2,633 pounds in fiscal 2019," according to federal data.

The focus of the work of The Center Square California is state and local-level government and economic reporting that approaches stories with a taxpayer sensibility.