Officials in California reported the seizure of almost $1.7 million worth of fentanyl this month in two separate traffic stops, including one incident involving the illegal substance hidden inside raw beef.
The first incident took place on October 3 on Interstate 5 in Fresno County. Officers from the California Highway Patrol discovered 11 pounds of fentanyl, valued at around $500,000, concealed within several packages of raw carne asada beef inside a cooler, according to the office of Governor Gavin Newsom.
The authorities arrested a suspect from Washington, who is currently being held at the Fresno County Jail, as stated in a news release from the governor’s office.
On the following day, officers seized approximately 120,000 fentanyl-laced pills worth about $1.2 million during another traffic stop in Merced County, also on Interstate 5. In this case, two handguns were also recovered, and two individuals from Washington were arrested, facing multiple felony charges.
“California is committed to the challenging work of removing dangerous and illegal drugs from our streets. I am proud of our CHP officers for their efforts in keeping our communities safe and holding drug traffickers accountable,” Newsom stated in the news release.
The governor’s office claims that California has improved its ability to combat fentanyl trafficking since June, when around 250 additional service members were deployed at state entry points.
Growing numbers of Americans know someone lost to drug overdoses
According to a survey released earlier this year, more than 40% of American adults report knowing someone who has died from an overdose.
The Rand Corporation, a nonprofit think tank, noted that almost a third of respondents mentioned that a drug overdose incident has affected their lives, while little is known about the broader effects of these fatalities on extended families.
From the year 2000 onward, fatal overdoses have been consistently rising. In 2022 alone, at least 109,000 overdose deaths were reported in the U.S., a figure that exceeded 100,000 in 2021. The majority of these overdoses were attributed to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
According to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths have risen about 2% in the year up to September 2023 compared to 2022.
