Border Authorities Announce Major Increase in Drug Seizures

Border authorities reported a 119 percent increase in fentanyl seizures, 230 percent for marijuana, 50 percent for cocaine, and nine percent for methamphetamine, according to El Paso Times. The El Paso Sector recorded fewer than 20,000 apprehensions in 2026, compared with 420,000 in fiscal year 2023.

Marijuana seizures have increased by more than 230%, fentanyl by more than 119%, cocaine by over 50%, and methamphetamine by more than 9% in the 2026 fiscal year for the CBP El Paso sector, Provencio said.

The federal fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. The El Paso sector oversees El Paso and Hudspeth counties in Texas and all of New Mexico.

CBP officers seized more than 875 pounds of cocaine and methamphetamine "directly off our streets" in September, Provencio said.

Our Borders are closed, supply chains are shrinking, and Fentanyl overdoses are plummeting @SaraCarterDC @NEWSMAX https://t.co/1OTILmYfYZ

— ONDCP (@ONDCP) October 22, 2026

Muñoz noted that the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda has allowed agents to focus on border security instead of working at detention centers. 

Officials also credit the increase in agents patrolling ports of entry, but note that Mexican drug cartels remain the top threat when it comes to smuggling narcotics into the United States.

U.S. Border Patrol agents seized more than 51 pounds of suspected fentanyl while conducting anti-smuggling operations along Interstate 15 this month, authorities announced Monday. https://t.co/fBrGCnjwBs https://t.co/oTOMNDVMZj

— KTLA (@KTLA) October 26, 2026

With crossings down to fewer than 50 encounters a day and those large custody numbers gone, Chief Jesse D. Munoz said nearly 100 additional agents are back on patrol duty, supported by more manpower, new barriers and surveillance technology. 

At the ports of entry, Director Ray Provencio credited the skills of his officers, nonintrusive inspection technology, low-energy portals and canine teams for finding more narcotics during inspections. To put it simply, the cartels have not stopped trying to move fentanyl. But border enforcement is now catching a much larger share of the drugs.

Overdose deaths have dropped about 11.5 percent this May. For the full year 2025, the CDC counted 69,973 overdose deaths, down nearly 14 percent from 81,313 in 2024. Deaths involving synthetic opioids, the category that includes fentanyl, fell even faster, dropping about 22 percent, from 48,913 in 2024 to 38,084 in 2025. This is a significant decline from when annual overdose deaths exceeded 100,000 for three consecutive years during the COVID-19 pandemic.