Cartels 'pouring' drugs into the US, says border expert
WASHINGTON (TND) — Fentanyl overdose is the leading cause of death for U.S. adults 18 to 45 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last month, Customs and Border Protection seized 1,800 pounds of the synthetic drug that primarily sourced from China.
"The majority of fentanyl, 95%, comes from the wide-open Southwest border," said former acting commissioner for Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan. "Where do they get the chemicals and the products to manufacture fentanyl? It comes from China."
According to the CDC, more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021.
"You must secure the border, both in between the ports of entry and at the ports of entry, to cut off the supply. And part of that is stopping the flow of illegal immigration because those things are connected. As illegal immigration goes up, resources are pulled off the line, resulting in operational control of the border literally being handed over to the cartels where they're exploiting it and drugs are pouring into the country," said Morgan to The National Desk's Jan Jeffcoat. "We need to shift our strategy to a whole-government approach and commitment to go after the cartels equally as we do terrorist organizations throughout the world."
Watch the full interview below.
