San Diego Border Patrol makes record-breaking fentanyl bust 

Border Patrol agents in San Diego made a record-breaking bust of fentanyl on Monday after they found more than 232 pounds of the deadly drug in a single vehicle near the U.S.-Mexico border. 

The drugs, valued at around $3 million, were found while agents were conducting a traffic stop in San Clemente, California, a town about 75 miles from the border, according to authorities. 

According to Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz, 232 pounds of fentanyl are enough to kill more than 50 million people. 

The bust is the third major fentanyl bust that has taken place in the U.S. side of the border, signaling that the drugs were successfully smuggled through the ports of entry into the country, according to Fox News.

On February 15, Border Patrol agents seized 93 pounds of fentanyl from a single smuggler. One day earlier, agents seized 24 pounds of fentanyl near Nogales, Arizona. 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been intercepting a large influx of the deadly drug compared to previous years. Last year, agents seized 14,700 pounds of fentanyl, compared to 4,800 in 2020. So far this fiscal year, which began last October, agents have seized 12,500 pounds of the drug at different points of entry. 

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine and can be deadly even in small doses. The drug was responsible for two-thirds of all drug overdose deaths in the nation in 2021. 

The drug is primarily made in Mexico, using Chinese ingredients. It is then smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border either in vehicles passing through the port of entry or carried by migrants who illegally cross the border.