The fight against drug trafficking: US seizes than 100 tons of drugs at the border in first half of fiscal year

Drug trafficking is a major threat to one of President Donald Trump's top priorities: protecting the country from both external and internal dangers, and ensuring the security of Americans. For this reason, authorities continue their fight against drug trafficking, particularly at the border, to prevent any compromise to the administration's objectives.

Having completed the first half of the current fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2024, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released drug seizure statistics, detailing the amount (in pounds) of each type of narcotic intercepted at various checkpoints entering the country.

More than 100 tons of seized drugs

During the first six months of fiscal year 2025, CBP agents successfully prevented the entry of 251,069 pounds (113.9 tons) of drugs. This is less than half of the amount seized during the previous period, when 573,469 pounds were intercepted. 

During the same period in 2023, 549,238 pounds of drugs were seized at border checkpoints, compared to 655,780 pounds in 2022.

March 2025 saw the highest number of seizures, with 50,816 pounds, followed by October 2024 with 42,619 pounds, February 2025 with 42,583 pounds, December 2024 with 41,404 pounds, January 2025 with 38,517 pounds, and November 2024 with 35,130 pounds.

Marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, khat and fentanyl

Once again, marijuana was the most seized drug during the first six months of this period. Between October 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, CBP agents prevented the entry of 83,899 pounds. In comparison, 174,991 pounds were intercepted during the previous fiscal year.

Next in line are methamphetamines, with authorities seizing 61,034 pounds. In the previous period, 174,197 pounds were prevented from entering the country.

Third is cocaine, with 35,674 pounds intercepted to date, compared to 68,215 pounds seized in FY2024. Khat, a drug consumed like chewing tobacco, ranks fourth with 26,273 pounds seized. This is a higher amount than the 17,621 pounds seized in the previous fiscal period.

The fifth most seized drug is fentanyl, a synthetic opioid responsible for one of the largest health crises in recent years, claiming tens of thousands of lives in the U.S. and millions globally. Between October 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, 6,950 pounds were intercepted. In the previous period, 21,889 pounds were prevented from entering the United States.

Fight against narcotics

It is clear that combating drug trafficking is one of the president's top priorities. For this reason, Trump decided to implement policies aimed at taking strong action against one of the main threats to national security and the safety of Americans.

One of the key measures promoted and signed by Trump shortly after officially returning to the White House was adding many of the criminal groups involved in drug trafficking—along with committing other crimes such as extortion—to the list of global terrorist organizations.

Specifically, the groups included on the list are Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco Cartel - New Generation, the United Cartels, the Northeast Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana.

Another measure has been to start deporting all alleged members of these criminal groups to their countries of origin. Additionally, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun filing charges for racketeering, human trafficking, sex trafficking and murder against these groups.