Immigration officers stop man smuggling 'three-quarters of a pound of fentanyl' into United States

Federal immigration authorities say they've stopped yet another effort to bring deadly fentanyl in the United States.

A news release from Customs and Border Protection says that CBP officers seized "nearly three-quarters of a pound of fentanyl" from a 19-year-old Phoenix man last week.

The bust happened at the U.S. port of entry in Lukeville, Arizona, roughly halfway between Nogales and Yuma.

The two packages of fentanyl pills are estimated to be worth nearly $8,000 on the street. They were discovered taped around the suspect's thighs after he was referred for further inspection while trying to enter the U.S. from Mexico through a pedestrian area, the release explained.

Fentanyl is an extremely potent and dangerous opioid and a key driver of overdose deaths in America's ongoing drug crisis. Just a small amount of it can kill someone. “As little as two milligrams is a lethal dosage in most people," according to the DEA.

Following CBP bust, the suspect was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.

Last month, Border Patrol agents in Arizona stopped "almost two pounds" of fentanyl pills from entering the United States after a Mexican woman attempted to smuggle it across the border in her underwear. Last week, federal prosecutors announced the federal sentencing of an illegal immigrant who was arrested after trying to sell fentanyl and heroin to a confidential informant.

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