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Mexico: fentanyl seizures at border increased 300% in last four years

The opioid crisis affects both the U.S. and Mexico. The Mexico Peace Index 2023 report revealed that drug overdoses increased by 636%.

Gran alijo de fentanilo y cocaína incautado por la policía de Massachusets

(Massachusets State Police Department).

Published by
Verónica Silveri Pazos

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The Mexico Peace Index 2023 (IEP) report by the country's Institute for Economics and Peace revealed that fentanyl seizures at the U.S. border have increased by 300% over the last four years.

In seven years, the amount of the drug seized went from about 68 pounds in 2015 to about 14,550 pounds in 2022. IEP Mexico Director Carlos Juarez stated:

The number of fentanyl seizures at the border with the United States in the last four years grew by 300%. ... In 2015, there were seizures of up to 32 kilograms [68 pounds] at the border, and today, these 32 kilos became 6,600 kilos [14,550 pounds].

ESP-MPI-2023-web (1) by Verónica Silveri

The IEP revealed that between 2019 and 2021, fentanyl overdoses increased in Mexico by 636%. Juarez asked to pay special attention to how the fentanyl crisis is affecting public safety. In addition, he insisted on seeking solutions to encourage the prevention of drug addiction, especially among young people:

We are glad to see the conversation about fentanyl finally opening up, but we must also pay attention not only to what this implies for public safety. The fentanyl crisis has many implications for public health, mental health, the vulnerability of young people, what we are going to do in terms of education, what we are going to do in terms of addiction prevention. There are many angles to this fentanyl crisis.

Fentanyl crisis hits U.S.

In the U.S., the situation is also serious. A few months ago, a report from national intelligence agencies declared fentanyl as the greatest public health hazard from abroad. Most of the opioid that enters the country is trafficked by Mexican cartels and enters the country through the southern border.

ATA 2023 Unclassified Report by Verónica Silveri

Deaths in the nation due to drug overdoses are a matter of concern. A report released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unveiled that fentanyl-related deaths in the country nearly quadrupled between 2016 and 2021. The study exposes that, in 2016, the rate of fentanyl-related overdose deaths was 5.7 per 100,000. Only five years later, the figure had more than quadrupled to 21.6 per 100,000.

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