US-PRESCRIPTION-DRUGS-DEA
Containers of pills and prescription drugs are boxed for disposal during the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) 20th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day at Watts Healthcare on April 24, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US has seen an increase in drug overdose deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic, accelerating significantly during the first months of the public health emergency, including deaths from opioids and counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP / Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

The Texas law enforcement was disturbed recently not only about the rise of fentanyl in the area but also because producers were processing the drugs into pills to look like prescription medicine, officials stated.

Based on the law enforcement officials, the seizures of fentanyl continue to rise in Texas, and at the Texas-Mexico border, officials say.

The trend is that Mexican drug cartels process the often-deadly substance into pills, making it look like any other prescription medications that can be bought in pharmacies.

According to KXAN, Tarrant County Sheriff Bill E. Waybourn stated that a year ago, fentanyl was barely on their radar, but apparently, based on the intelligence that he had, fentanyl has already flooded their area.

Waybourn was in South Texas on Wednesday after Gov. Greg Abbott and former President Donald Trump toured on the unfinished border wall.

The former president railed against the threat posed to the state and the country by illegal immigration. He made several claims regarding the ongoing immigration and drug trafficking.

The Tarrant County Sheriff only supported Trump's claim regarding the seizures of synthetic drugs linked to thousands of fatal overdoses in the United States. He also added that it has been rapidly increasing at both the state and federal levels.

Moreover, Waybourn, whose Fort Worth office is located 500 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, stated that what is going on in his county, especially this yea,r shows the harmful reach of the drug cartels into middle America.

The Tarrant County Sheriff added that even low-level dealers have large quantities of fentanyl. Waybourn also shared that the producers were not only making it look like a safe drug but also laced it with other prohibited drugs like heroin and meth. The sheriff also mentioned that the price of fentanyl in his county has dropped from $50 to $15-$20 per gram since January.

Also, Waybourn mentioned that fentanyl came from Mexico and stated that drug cartels call it "the No. 1 enemy of American law enforcement." The sheriff also urged parents to help contain the opioid overdose epidemic in the country. The overdose claims 70,000 American lives every year.

4000% Increase in 3 Years

Based on the latest numbers from the Texas Department of Public Safety, their reports show an eight-fold increase in fentanyl seizures from January to April 2021 compared to the same time frame in 2020.

Furthermore, the U.S. Border Patrol's El Paso Sector also reported a 355 percent surge in fentanyl seizures this year compared to last year. If compared to the numbers in 2018, it would be a 4,000 percent-plus increase.

El Paso Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez stated that cartels already found their ways not only to intimidate migrants but also to have them illegally transport the narcotics, NBC News reported. The Mexican drug cartels usually forced migrants into bringing the drugs into the United States.

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