A 16-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested by federal law enforcement officers in El Paso, Texas, over the weekend for attempting to smuggle enough fentanyl to kill more than 3 million people into the United States from Mexico.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Monday that the underage teenager was taken into custody Saturday after officers at the Ysleta border crossing found 16 pounds of fentanyl inside the vehicle. The underage smuggler was not identified by name or gender.
“History has shown that almost every element of society can be lured into the drug smuggling trade,” CBP Ysleta Port Director Arnoldo Gomez said in a statement. “Over the years CBP officers have encountered teens, senior citizens, families and single travelers smuggling drugs.”
The vehicle was initially referred for a second inspection after being deemed suspicious by an officer at the port of entry. A CBP canine and drive-through X-ray machine confirmed the officer’s suspicion, indicating that drugs were concealed in the vehicle.
The Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that a kilogram of fentanyl can contain 500,000 lethal doses. The 16 pounds of fentanyl recovered would be equivalent to 3.6 million fatal doses.
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The bust was significant, given that the smuggler was underage and an American. One other passenger, an 18-year-old Mexican citizen, was in the vehicle at the time of the incident. The driver was turned over to state and local authorities for prosecution.
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Drug cartels in Mexico use minors to transport narcotics into the U.S. and within the country because they can face lighter legal consequences than adults.
The large majority of drugs found by authorities at the southern border are detected at ports of entry.
