If the borders are ‘open’ how are we seizing so much stuff?
[deleted]
How much fentanyl is seized at US borders?
In September, US Customs and Border Protection seized just over 2,200 pounds of fentanyl at US borders—a 31% increase from the previous month.
Between January and September of this year, 16,566 pounds of fentanyl was confiscated at US borders, marking a 16% decrease compared to the same period in 2023. Despite this drop, the trend in annual fentanyl seizures has generally risen over recent years. At the same time, less heroin is being seized at borders, leading to fentanyl making up 95% of all opioids seized at the border in 2023 compared to 32% in 2019.
Most (87%) fentanyl seized between January and September 2024 was intercepted at official ports of entry, primarily along the southwest border. The majority was found in vehicles driven by US citizens. However, drug seizure data likely underestimates the total volume trafficked.
A 2021 Department of Homeland Security study estimated that 3% of cocaine trafficked through official ports was intercepted. In contrast, DHS estimates that around 60% to 75% of people attempting to cross the border between ports of entry are intercepted, suggesting that the actual amount of fentanyl trafficked through unauthorized channels is also undercounted, but to a lesser extent than through official ports.
Does this show that the policies implemented in the last 4 years have been much more successful or that the stop and search processes on the border have gotten better or other.
This is only coming in right? could this also be a measure of the amount of fentanyl in society generally? I’m personally skeptical that Americans are mentally incapable of producing simple narcotics
What do they do with all of it? That’s a shitload of fentanyl Jesus Christ.Â
Ooh, now it do it for the whole U.S….yeah, as if you have the time to pull those figures then filter for accuracy.
That is only what is seized. The sad part is that the DEA estimates that only a small percentage of all of it coming through is actually seized.
I thought I read a while back that lethal doses of fentanyl are super tiny. Is that not true? If it is why do they need so many pounds of it?
Would be interested in seeing other derivatives as well. Did smugglers switch to carfentanil, for example?
90% of this is seized by American citizens bringing it into America btwÂ
That’s less than what Mexico has seized year to date and the US constantly states that the mexican government is not doing anything
My friend that works in public health told me heroin basically doesn’t exist anymore. It’s all fentanyl now
Nobody believes me when I say Customs is already seizing thousands of pounds of drugs at the border every single day.
It’ll be fun when there’s no data available and Customs and Borders just tells us it’s down. 🙄
How much of this comes across at regular crossings, irregular crossings or shipped? Also should add some estimate of the total that comes across and isn’t apprehended
Cumulative total makes it difficult to see month to month trends on the right visualizer. Also presents the impression that usage is always going up because the line increases, which, duh cumulative total, but this has a psychological impact of bias on readers.
For what it’s worth, 1,473 pounds of fentanyl is enough to kill every person in the United States.
Know how much came from Canada last year? 43 pounds. Out of more than 25,000 lbs total. But hey, you keep worrying about our borders.
That is astounding considering how much more concentrated fentanyl is compared to heroin. It’s something like 1000x stronger for the same weight.
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Source: [US Customs and Border Protection, Nationwide Drug Seizures](https://www.cbp.gov/document/stats/nationwide-drug-seizures)
Tools: Datawrapper, Illustrator
More data [here](https://usafacts.org/answers/how-much-fentanyl-is-seized-at-us-borders/country/united-states/)
If the borders are ‘open’ how are we seizing so much stuff?
[deleted]
How much fentanyl is seized at US borders?
In September, US Customs and Border Protection seized just over 2,200 pounds of fentanyl at US borders—a 31% increase from the previous month.
Between January and September of this year, 16,566 pounds of fentanyl was confiscated at US borders, marking a 16% decrease compared to the same period in 2023. Despite this drop, the trend in annual fentanyl seizures has generally risen over recent years. At the same time, less heroin is being seized at borders, leading to fentanyl making up 95% of all opioids seized at the border in 2023 compared to 32% in 2019.
Most (87%) fentanyl seized between January and September 2024 was intercepted at official ports of entry, primarily along the southwest border. The majority was found in vehicles driven by US citizens. However, drug seizure data likely underestimates the total volume trafficked.
A 2021 Department of Homeland Security study estimated that 3% of cocaine trafficked through official ports was intercepted. In contrast, DHS estimates that around 60% to 75% of people attempting to cross the border between ports of entry are intercepted, suggesting that the actual amount of fentanyl trafficked through unauthorized channels is also undercounted, but to a lesser extent than through official ports.
See more data [here](https://usafacts.org/answers/how-much-fentanyl-is-seized-at-us-borders/country/united-states/), including interactive versions of these charts.
It would be great if there was data that pointed to how much of the increase was due to better enforcement vs more trafficking.
How does this compare to the total fentanyl used in the US per year?
It looks like it is equivalent to the amount seized in California in 2022.
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/12/23/california-seized-enough-fentanyl-to-potentially-kill-the-entire-population-of-north-america-twice/
I WISH IT WAS LEGAL
I WOULD LOVE TO TRY IT
How much comes in through Canada?
Does this show that the policies implemented in the last 4 years have been much more successful or that the stop and search processes on the border have gotten better or other.
This is only coming in right? could this also be a measure of the amount of fentanyl in society generally? I’m personally skeptical that Americans are mentally incapable of producing simple narcotics
What do they do with all of it? That’s a shitload of fentanyl Jesus Christ.Â
Ooh, now it do it for the whole U.S….yeah, as if you have the time to pull those figures then filter for accuracy.
That is only what is seized. The sad part is that the DEA estimates that only a small percentage of all of it coming through is actually seized.
I thought I read a while back that lethal doses of fentanyl are super tiny. Is that not true? If it is why do they need so many pounds of it?
Would be interested in seeing other derivatives as well. Did smugglers switch to carfentanil, for example?
90% of this is seized by American citizens bringing it into America btwÂ
That’s less than what Mexico has seized year to date and the US constantly states that the mexican government is not doing anything
My friend that works in public health told me heroin basically doesn’t exist anymore. It’s all fentanyl now
Nobody believes me when I say Customs is already seizing thousands of pounds of drugs at the border every single day.
It’ll be fun when there’s no data available and Customs and Borders just tells us it’s down. 🙄
How much of this comes across at regular crossings, irregular crossings or shipped? Also should add some estimate of the total that comes across and isn’t apprehended
Cumulative total makes it difficult to see month to month trends on the right visualizer. Also presents the impression that usage is always going up because the line increases, which, duh cumulative total, but this has a psychological impact of bias on readers.
For what it’s worth, 1,473 pounds of fentanyl is enough to kill every person in the United States.
Know how much came from Canada last year? 43 pounds. Out of more than 25,000 lbs total. But hey, you keep worrying about our borders.
That is astounding considering how much more concentrated fentanyl is compared to heroin. It’s something like 1000x stronger for the same weight.
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