Arizona Republican Senate nominee Blake Masters recently blasted his incumbent opponent Mark Kelly (D-AZ) for supporting the Biden administration’s open border policies, which have led to a flood of fentanyl entering the country.
“There are no words to describe tens of thousands of dead American teenagers, dead from fentanyl because of the wide-open southern border,” Masters said. “Mark Kelly should be forced to attend the funerals of each of those dead children, so he can better understand the consequences of his support for Joe Biden’s open borders. I truly mean that.”
Masters made this comment while speaking at the “Faith and Family Fest” rally hosted by Arizona’s Trump-backed gubernatorial nominee, Kari Lake.
A recent report from Breitbart News concurs with Masters’ claim about Kelly supporting open border policies. In 2021 alone, Kelly voted against three separate border security policies. The first would have prevented the Biden administration from canceling existing border wall construction, and another would have protected previously funded wall construction. Kelly also voted to end Title 42, despite later criticizing this plan, saying “it’s going to be a crisis.”
As reported by The Arizona Sun Times, Kelly has voted overall with President Joe Biden 94 percent of the time.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform shared that, as of mid-August, nearly 5 million immigrants have illegally crossed America’s borders since Biden took office, not to mention roughly 900,000 “gotaways” who avoided apprehension. This means approximately the population of Ireland has illegally entered the country in just 18 months.
As for the fentanyl Masters shared concern over, multiple reports from Arizona officials confirm that the drug is entering the state in large amounts.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) reported that troopers recently found 46 pounds of fentanyl in a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta sedan. Officers pulled over the driver, Izayah Ocasio, 20, for a traffic stop near Red Rock, where they found the drugs concealed within the vehicle. AZDPS stated that the drugs were being smuggled to the Phoenix area from Nogales, Mexico.
–Troopers Find 46 Pounds of Fentanyl Pills Concealed in Vehicle During Traffic Stop–
Troopers discovered the fentanyl pills during a traffic stop on I-10 near Red Rock on Aug. 24th.
Read more: ➡️https://t.co/8o0ldTzQ5G#AZTroopers #CourteousVigilance pic.twitter.com/ThsLU9zli5— Dept. of Public Safety (@Arizona_DPS) September 2, 2022
Director Michael Humphries has reported five separate seizures of multi-colored fentanyl in the Nogales port of entry since August 17. In the latest four incidents, officials have confiscated 76,300 of these “rainbow fentanyl” pills with a candy-like appearance, which Humphries said could be used to target younger users.
8/17 CBP officers #Nogales POE seized over 15,000 fentanyl pills strapped to a person’s legs. Second consecutive day colored fentanyl pills with the appearance of candy seized .This could be the start of a trend with Transnational Criminal Organizations targeting younger users. pic.twitter.com/y5KT5Zveop
— Port Director Michael W. Humphries (@CBPPortDirNOG) August 18, 2022
However, these multi-colored pills make up only a fraction of the total amount of fentanyl impounded just at Nogales. On August 22nd, an 18-wheeler was searched, and officials discovered 1.27 million fentanyl pills,104 pounds of fentanyl powder, and other illicit drugs within floor compartments and trap doors in the vehicle’s trailer.
Massive amount of fentanyl pills, other drugs seized at the Nogales POE on Saturday
18-Wheeler trailer floor compartment with approx 1.27 million pills and 104 lbs of cocaine
Vehicle floor with approx 300,000 pills, 2 lbs fentanyl powder, 13 lbs of heroin and 10 lbs of cocaine pic.twitter.com/z3HIcQdW7C— Port Director Michael W. Humphries (@CBPPortDirNOG) August 22, 2022
In July, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents seized roughly 2,100 pounds of fentanyl at the U.S.-Mexico border, an increase of 200 percent compared to June. With the street price of fentanyl hovering at around $5-10 per pill in 2021, the cost of addiction is relatively low as the opioid continues to enter the country.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS), there have been 1,937 non-fatal fentanyl overdoses in Arizona since the start of 2022. There are currently 372 confirmed deaths from a fentanyl overdose, although this number has not been updated since May due to internal data issues at the AZDHS. Most lethal overdoses involve fentanyl users between the ages of 25 and 34.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Blake Masters” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Photo “Mark Kelly” by John Klemmer. Background Photo “Fentanyl Pills ” by Dept. of Public Safety.
