EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Over a period of 30 days ending on September 24, border officers at Nogales, Arizona, intercepted close to a million fentanyl pills through several operations.
These dangerous blue pills were being smuggled into the United States from Mexico, concealed within vehicles, luggage, or even strapped onto individuals’ bodies.
During the week concluding on September 2, authorities confiscated over 500,000 pills, according to reports from federal court documents and updates on social media by Laura E. Hermosillo, the Acting Director of Nogales U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The most significant haul occurred on September 19 when CBP officers found numerous small packages inside a vehicle containing 30 pounds of methamphetamine and 177,800 fentanyl pills.
On September 11, a pedestrian claimed to be carrying luggage when he arrived at a Nogales border crossing. Upon further inspection by a CBP officer, footlong plastic bags containing 164,800 fentanyl pills were discovered.
At the same pedestrian lanes, on September 6, CBP officers decided to examine a “traveler” who had 21,517 blue pills taped to their torso. The following day, another person attempted to cross the same border area with 22,875 pills secured along their thighs.
Fentanyl seizures – just like migrant encounters – fell drastically during fiscal year 2025, according to data from CBP.
But the Tucson Field Office, which includes Nogales, has seen fentanyl seizure events steadily rising since May.
On July 7, Homeland Security Investigations announced it had partnered with Mexico to take down five members of a Nogales, Sonora-based criminal organization trafficking fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and meth. Seven alleged U.S.-based collaborators of the same organization were previously indicted in federal court.
Nogales is part of CBP’s Operation Plaza Spike, which targets Mexican cartels shipping fentanyl to the United States.
CBP identified the operation’s principal local target as Sergio Valenzuela Valenzuela, aka “Don Gio.” Federal officials last year said he is the plaza, or regional boss, and has been under federal indictment since 2018.
