(NewsNation) — Federal agents in Southern California last week seized more than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine from inside two trucks.
Four men face drug trafficking charges for what authorities said is one of the largest busts in history.
According to officials, however, this seizure is just the tip of the iceberg when compared to the drug traffic as a whole coming across the border. For example, on July 7, there was more than $700,000 worth of cocaine seized in one single haul — that’s more than 87 pounds of the drugs.
Recently in the El Paso, Texas, area, officials found more than 30 pounds of fentanyl. That has law enforcement most concerned, as fentanyl is now the No. 1 killer of people 18- to 45-years-old in the United States.
This comes as officials are seeing an increase in movement of the drug, with at least 20% more having been seized this year, compared to the same time period last year.
The amount of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin seized is down this year, but officials emphasize that that is not a reflection of a decrease in the drugs crossing the border.
“We’re just not very good at apprehending the drugs that are coming across the border right now; that’s the problem,” said Brandon Judd of the National Border Patrol Council. “The resources are being pulled out of the field to deal with those people that have crossed the border illegally. So we’re just not apprehending the total numbers of what we used to apprehend. The fentanyl is up because we just haven’t seen fentanyl like this in the past.”
Officials point to is the number of drugs that are being seized away from the border farther inland. For example, Texas State Troopers recently seized $900,000 worth of cocaine, which had already been snuck into the U.S
Troopers said that since the inception of Operation Lone Star in March 2021, they have found enough fentanyl to kill the entire U.S. population.
Watch NewsNation reporter Robert Sherman’s full report in the player above.