(NewsNation) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little will travel to the southern border in two weeks with Idaho State Police to help the state of Texas stop drugs such as fentanyl from crossing into America.
A news release from the governor’s office says this is going to be a “month-long mission.”
This will be the second time since 2021 that Little, a Republican, has directed law enforcement resources to the U.S.-Mexico border, the Idaho Statesman reports.
Along with his trip to Texas, other measures are being taken by Little’s administration, such as a campaign, Fentanyl Takes All, to educate residents about the dangers of the drug. In addition, more roadside testing equipment was given to ISP, and the governor said Idaho is adding a new statewide drug interdiction team to the force to intercept fentanyl coming into the state.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It is now a leading cause of death for young adults in the United States. In just 10 years, 2011-2021, the CDC said, the number of fatal fentanyl overdoses rose from roughly 2,600 to more than 70,000.
Little, according to the release, was at Kuna High School Tuesday for National Fentanyl Awareness Day, where he was joined by Tarina Taylor, the mother of Zachary Taylor, a 26-year-old who died from accidental fentanyl poisoning in 2021.
Zachary Taylor, the news release said, bought a pill he thought was OxyContin that actually contained enough fentanyl to kill six people.
“Take this problem seriously and learn more about it. Most importantly, take care of each other. Look out for yourselves and your friends,” Little told the students, per the news release.