PHOENIX—U.S. agents in southern Arizona reported Thursday that they seized up to 440 pounds of what they suspect is a precursor chemical often used to make the dangerous drug fentanyl, a chilling sign that producers may be switching to making the drug. deadly synthetic opioid on American soil.
The powdered chemical was being transported by agents Thursday morning from a residence and warehouse in Tucson, where it had been shipped in recent months in a series of suspicious packages from China that did not identify its contents, said Leo Lamas, the agent. special deputy in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Tucson.
There were no immediate reports of arrests after agents with federal search warrants entered the locations and found no one inside.
“If criminal entrepreneurs start producing fentanyl here, it could become a scary situation for the United States,” said Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration. “If the chemicals turn out to be precursors, this could really exacerbate fentanyl distribution and overdoses.”
Lamas said the agency launched the investigation several months ago after learning that suspicious packages containing the chemical, which he did not name, were being shipped to the two locations from China. DEA agents and Tucson police provided significant support, he said.
He added that the agency was still investigating who was involved in shipping and storing the chemicals and did not yet know if they were part of a local criminal group or an international drug organization.
If further investigation shows that the chemicals were intended for the production of fentanyl, Thursday’s seizure could mark a new model for how it is manufactured, making it more widely available to consumers in the United States.
The DEA already calls fentanyl the deadliest drug in the country. Two-thirds of the 107,000 overdose deaths in the country in 2021 were attributed to synthetic opioids like fentanyl, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Authorities detail and explain the methods used to bring fentanyl across the southern Arizona border.
Originally developed as a legal drug to treat the intense pain of ailments such as cancer, Mexican drug cartels have in recent years produced most of the illegal fentanyl seen in the United States.
Fentanyl addiction has spread among homeless populations in Los Angeles and other large Western cities where it is sold in small doses at low cost.
“What makes it much more dangerous is that it doesn’t really discriminate in economic terms,” Lamas said. “It’s available to anyone.”