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-Lurid Crime Tales-
DPS Drug Labs slammed, as fentanyl pours in from Mexico, laced in everything from pills to pot
2022-06-30
[FoxNews] Every day, scientists at the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab have their hands on one of the deadliest drugs in America.

"This here is a kilo of fentanyl," says DPS Forensic Scientist Jennifer Hatch as she handles the package wearing gloves.

Hatch gave Fox News a tour of the DPS Houston lab, explaining that nearly every street drug she analyzes is laced with the synthetic opioid.

"We are more surprised when they do come back legitimate, than when they don’t," says Hatch.

Last year, fentanyl was the number one cause of death among Americans 18 to 45 years-old, according to data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most of the time the drug is pressed into pill form. Though, authorities also confiscate kilos of fentanyl smuggled in from the border. Those large shipments also end up at the lab.

DPS says the kilo of fentanyl could produce up to 500,000 lethal doses. Which has the potential to kill hundreds of thousands of people.

Before the drug ends up at the lab, law enforcement has to find it. Which is not an easy task. Investigators say the Mexican Cartels hide it in everything from tires to water pumps. One of the people leading the charge to find the drug is Texas DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez.

"Every state is a border state because of what is taking place right now," says Lt. Olivarez.

The Lieutenant is one of many leading the charge in Texas to stop the pounds of what he calls poison being shipped into the U.S. from China and Mexico.

"The drug cartels are using the chemicals to mass produce fake pills," says Lt. Olivarez.

Fox took a close look at the cannot tell the difference between the prescription pills and the counterfeit pills that are laced with fentanyl. Even scientists must use high-tech instruments to analyze the components to know for sure.

"These are all fake Xanax tablets, and they look excellent," says Hatch.

DPS says the cartel makes big money off the synthetic opioid, but Americans pay the ultimate price.

"It is killing hundreds of Americans daily," says Lt. Olivarez.
Related:
Texas Department of Public Safety: 2022-04-26 Moment border agents and Texas state cops pry open wooden crates to discover them packed with migrants
Texas Department of Public Safety: 2022-04-22 Border Town USA: Migrants Busted in Michigan with Mexican Cartel's 20K Fentanyl Pills
Texas Department of Public Safety: 2022-04-16 Abbott: Enhanced Inspections Have Forced Multiple Mexican States to Negotiate on Border Security, We'll Keep Inspections if They Don't
Related:
Fentanyl: 2022-06-28 Drug traffickers arrested in California with 150,000 fentanyl pills released after just days in jail
Fentanyl: 2022-06-25 ‘A deadly combination': excessive heat adds to Arizona opioid epidemic's toll
Fentanyl: 2022-06-25 Republicans call for Biden to push Mexican president to combat fentanyl smuggling
Posted by:Skidmark

#3  Part of me says just let through; demand will eventually decline due to reduction in users…
Posted by: USN, Ret.   2022-06-30 16:57  

#2  I am sure the big guy gets 10% of the revenue, while Hunter gets 10% of the products.
Posted by: Black Charlie Slairt1430   2022-06-30 01:30  

#1  I wonder how all this synthetic opioid is affecting the market for the natural product, and the economies of Afghanistan, Burma etc.
Posted by: Glenmore    2022-06-30 00:49  

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