https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/border-issues/2019/03/09/nogales-border-cities-ports-of-entry-drug-smuggling-effects-fentanyl-overdoses/3086853002/?utm_source=oembed&utm_medium=news&utm_campaign=storylines
NOGALES – Despite record seizures of fentanyl at U.S. ports of entry on the southern border, a rise in overdoses is forcing law enforcement officials in some border communities to change their tactics, emphasizing information and public engagement, as well as drugs to reverse opioid overdoses.
From 2015 to 2017, fentanyl-related overdose deaths in the U.S. tripled, to 28,466 from 9,580, according to a National Institute on Drug Abuse analysis of data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Arizona, the number of such deaths rose from 1,274 in 2015 to 1,532 in 2017, according to the CDC.
The Drug Enforcement Agency’s 2018 National Drug Threat Assessment said fentanyl and other synthetic opioids now are the most lethal category of opioids in the United States, partly because drug traffickers are increasingly mixing fentanyl into other drugs without the street dealer’s or user’s knowledge.
And it’s not just adults who are increasingly using the pills. One arrest was made at San Luis High School where a student was found with 46 blue M-30s. With fentanyl distribution moving directly into the local high school, the police department has increased its visibility and engagement.