U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested a passenger at the Galveston Cruise Port on April 20 after discovering nearly 72 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl and 96 grams of THC vape oil during a routine baggage inspection.
According to CBP, the individual is a U.S. citizen who was detained following a secondary screening of his luggage. Officers discovered several vape pens suspected to contain marijuana-derived THC oil, along with prescription pill bottles—two of which held a powdery substance. Field drug tests later confirmed the presence of both heroin and fentanyl.
The suspect was turned over to local law enforcement for prosecution, CBP officials said.
“Fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction in this country, and CBP works every day to keep Americans safe from dangerous and deadly drugs,” said Acting CBP Area Port Director John Landry. “This is a significant priority for CBP and our law enforcement partners. Thanks to the vigilance of our brave and dedicated CBP officers, we continue to intercept these deadly substances at our ports of entry before they can do damage in our local communities.”
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 100 times more potent than morphine, remains the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A single kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill up to 500,000 people. While medically prescribed fentanyl is used to treat severe pain, illicit versions are often produced in unregulated labs and smuggled into the U.S.
