Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas provided a status update on the Department of Homeland Security's surge campaign to stop fentanyl and its precursor ingredients from entering the U.S. "Operation Artemis" has resulted in more than 130 seizures of thousands of pounds of illegal drugs and their ingredients.
“Operation Artemis is surging our personnel to interdict the flow of precursor chemicals, as well as the equipment used to manufacture methamphetamine," Mayorkas said in a July 13 news release, "Thus far we have seized over 5,000 pounds of precursor chemicals."
The update is based on a review of contraband-interdiction operations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection's International Mail Facility at New York's JFK International Airport, according to the release. Mayorkas said, in the few weeks since Operation Artemis began, it has netted more than 5,000 lbs. of chemical precursors, more than 60 pill presses and molds, more than 300 lbs. of methamphetamine and 5,000 lbs. of other drugs.
The CBP's concurrent Operation Rolling Wave at the U.S. southwest border has seized more than 1,100 lbs. of fentanyl and more than 15,500 lbs. of other drugs, including 1,000 lbs. of cocaine, 8,000 lbs. of marijuana and 6,500 lbs. of methamphetamine, the release reports.
Mayorkas provided the status update in response to the release of President Joe Biden's National Response Plan to fight the influx of fentanyl, the release states.
"Operations like those underway throughout the country by CBP and Homeland Security Investigations are critical to reducing the supply of these substances and other illicit narcotics in communities across the country," the release reported.
Operations Artemis and Rolling Wave are part of DHS's "multipronged" efforts to combat the epidemic of fentanyl-related deaths in the U.S., such as Operations Blue Lotus and Four Horsemen, which seized approximately 10,000 lbs. of fentanyl and resulted in 284 arrests in a two-month period this year, the release reports. Operation Blue Lotus 2.0 began June 12, and will surge resources at ports of entry, "where 90%of fentanyl is trafficked primarily in cars and trucks," the release reports.
“Fentanyl is one of the greatest challenges that we are facing as a country, and our efforts are multipronged in addressing the traffickers who peddle in death and destruction," Mayorkas said in the release. "We are using all of our resources, all of our capabilities, and our tremendous creativity to guarantee traffickers will not get ahead of us. We will not stop our efforts until we eliminate the scourge of fentanyl and other contraband that is causing so much harm in our communities.”
