INDIANAPOLIS — A K-9 officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Saturday helped intercept 4.5 pounds of fentanyl with a street value of $1.5 million in a package bound for East Elmhurst, N.Y.
According to a report from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the shipment was transiting through a local express consignment facility when CBP K-9 Balbina alerted to the package. When officers opened the shipment, they found a white, styrofoam cooler lined with padded black material. The cooler held two sealed packages of white powder that tested positive for fentanyl.
"Opioids pose a real danger to every community in America and are having fatal consequences across our nation," Indianapolis Port Director James Moore said in a statement. "This week our CBP officers were able to stop an enormous amount of these deadly narcotics from hitting our streets."
According to CBP, fentaynl is a synthetic opioid with a potency approximately 100 times greater than morphine. It was originally developed to control pain for cancer patients. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, large quantities of fentanyl have been manufactured in China but it is now mostly made in Mexico.
"These efforts show our resolve to prevent these deadly drugs from entering our communities," Chief CBP Officer Tim Hubbard said.
