The U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the total amount of narcotics seized during the Fiscal year 2022 at Southern California ports of entry.
Officers conducting security operations at California’s ports of entry with Mexico performed more than 54.7 million inspections of travelers, seized more than 50 tons of illegal narcotics, and apprehended more than 74,000 immigration violators during the federal fiscal year 2022.
These inspections occurred during the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, in the San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, Tecate, Calexico, Andrade, and the San Diego air and seaports of entry. The seizures accounted for 15 percent of the cocaine, 50 percent of the heroin, 54 percent of the fentanyl, and 58 percent of the methamphetamine seized at ports of entry nationwide.
More than 29 million passenger vehicles were inspected by border officers in San Diego and Imperial counties, along with more than 1.5 million trucks, nearly 19,000 buses, and around 16 million people entering the United States on foot.
"It is evident from these statistics that CBP Officers are the front line of stopping these dangerous narcotics from entering the U.S.,"said Jennifer De La O, CBP Director of Field Operations in San Diego. "Drugs such as fentanyl, have a devastating impact on our communities and require that we remain vigilant to stop the negative impacts of the drug itself, and from the proceeds funding transnational criminal organizations. Keeping our communities safe is among our top priorities.”
Despite the 38% reduction in overall drugs seized, CBP officials said more than 50 tons of illegal drugs were discovered at the ports of entry, including 6,704 pounds of fentanyl and over 86,000 pounds of methamphetamine, which is a 5% increase over the previous year.
