According to official data, in the United States the consumption of synthetic drugs and fentanyl costs the lives of some 270 people a day, for which the authorities maintain extreme vigilance to prevent trafficking across its borders.
With regard to the upcoming Halloween, smugglers are looking for any pretext to try to cross drugs from Mexico to the United States and now they are using pumpkins to hide it.
Nothing says Halloween like carved pumpkins, haunted houses, and unsubstantiated warnings about dangerous candy 👻
But rainbow fentanyl is real. Here's everything to know about the drug and recent warnings from federal health officials. https://t.co/oLiRsSdWD9
— BuzzFeed Health (@BuzzFeedHealth) October 13, 2022
Customs agents this week seized four pumpkins filled with more than $400,000 worth of liquid methamphetamine at a border crossing in Texas.
Pumpkins found at the Eagle Pass port of entry in Texas contained a total of 44 pounds of the drug that was packaged in 136 different condoms.
The drugs were hidden inside 136 condoms packed in the gourds. They were discovered after border agents requested additional inspection on a 2012 Ford Escape that had arrived at the Eagle Pass Camino Real International Bridge entry point.
Officers seized the methamphetamine and the car carrying the pumpkins and the driver was turned over to the Maverick County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation.
“Our frontline CBP officers have seen just about everything and this Tuesday was no exception as they found liquid methamphetamine hidden inside the pumpkins,” said Acting Port Director Elizabeth Garduno.
“They used their training, experience, interviewing skills and uncovered a fairly novel narcotics smuggling method in the process,” she said.
This discovery follows the authorities’ warning about rainbow fentanyl, which has become an emerging drug in the region and, due to its resemblance to candy, began to worry parents due to the Halloween celebrations.