US-Mexico Border: Fentanyl Trafficking on a Concerning Rise

Fentanyl is affecting communities on both sides of the US-Mexico border as the drug trafficking problem seems to be worsening as more and more people overdose on the dangerous substance.

The fentanyl problem was not that big a couple of years ago, but as drug traffickers started mixing fentanyl into other drugs, many people, who did not know that the drugs they are taking is laced with fentanyl, started dying.

One of these is Hugo Arroyo, a fentanyl user who works with the Tijuana-based harm reduction group Prevencasa. He recently spoke with Al Jazeera News and stated that they are getting "three or four [cases] per day."

Overdoses from the substance seem to be down right now, but cross-border fentanyl trafficking remains a growing problem. This is backed by data from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for the fiscal year 2023. Seizures of the substance have spiked around 50% as the agency seized over 9,500kg (21,000 pounds) of fentanyl at the San Diego-Tijuana ports of entry.

Over in the Mexico side, the Mexican Red Cross has also responded to reported overdoses. In the first half of 2023, the Mexican Red Cross responded to an average of nearly 70 overdoses a month in Tijuana alone. Most of those who overdosed were men between the ages of 19 and 41.

This is a lot bigger than the only 19 deaths from opioids reported by the Mexican Health Department in 2021. However, public health official Hugo Lopez-Gatell acknowledged that there may have been some underreporting happening as the Mexican government has not provided data on fentanyl for subsequent years.

Fentanyl Demand Spikes Along US-Mexico Border

In the US, prescriptions for opioid medications have spiked, bolstering demand for drugs north of the US-Mexico border. However, on the Mexico side, fentanyl gained traction when drug traffickers began mixing it with other drugs to create addiction and spur demand.

"The number of people using illegal fentanyl has increased a lot. It gives you a more intense rush, but it lasts less than heroin, and that is more addictive," Prevencasa medical coordinator Alejandro Gonzalez told Al Jazeera News. He did admit that his group has observed fatal overdoses now that there is more access to the anti-opioid medication, Naloxone.

These days, drug users in Mexico carry Naloxone as it has proven to be effective in reversing the effects of opioids, including overdoses.

US Says China Is Responsible For Spread of Fentanyl

As for one of the reasons that fentanyl is flooding across the US-Mexico border, Congress is blaming it on China. The US House of Representatives passed the "Stop Chinese Fentanyl" bill and redefined the country as a "foreign opioid trafficker." The bill seeks to hold China accountable for sending chemicals to Mexican drug traffickers who use the said chemicals to make fentanyl, according to the South China Morning Post.

Democratic Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer has previously expressed wanting to sanction China over the flow of fentanyl from Mexico, The Senate Democrat claimed that the drug comes from production sites in China "with the total acceptance and acquiescence of the Chinese government."

The opposition to Chinese fentanyl is bipartisan and Schumer stated that he hopes it will pass with strong bipartisan support.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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