Operation Plaza Spike: CBP chief reveals the terrifying amount of Fentanyl seized

The focus is on dismantling the networks responsible for trafficking the deadly drug into the US.

PUBLISHED OCT 11, 2024

In August, CBP conducted its largest-ever fentanyl bust in Arizona, confiscating four million pills at the Port of Lukeville.

Phoenix, Arizona: Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Troy Miller, detailed the agency's efforts to stem the flow of fentanyl crossing the southern border. The focus is on dismantling the networks responsible for trafficking the deadly drug into the US during 'Operation Plaza Spike'.

What is Operation Plaza Spike?

Operation Plaza Spike is a CBP initiative aimed at disrupting the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs into the US, specifically targeting cartel operations in Mexican territories known as 'plazas'. These plazas are logistical chokepoints controlled by cartels that facilitate the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and other illicit goods across the US-Mexico border.

Maricopa County has been actively involved in litigation against pharmaceutical companies.

The operation focuses on three main efforts: Gathering intelligence, disrupting and degrading cartel operations, and delivering legal consequences to those involved. A significant part of this effort includes targeting high-ranking cartel members known as 'plaza bosses', who oversee and profit from criminal activities like drug trafficking, extortion, and human smuggling in their regions. The first target of this operation is the Nogales Plaza, led by Sergio Valenzuela Valenzuela, a Sinaloa Cartel boss responsible for a large portion of fentanyl trafficking into the US.

Operation Plaza Spike also aims to limit the outbound flow of illegal weapons and money from the US to the cartels, which supports their criminal enterprises. The CBP collaborates with other government agencies to scrutinize cross-border business entities, seize illicit proceeds, and revoke visas of known associates to cripple the cartels' operations further.

The funds, already being disbursed, are earmarked for drug treatment and addiction prevention efforts.

Over the last two fiscal years, CBP has seized more than 50,000lbs of fentanyl — an amount capable of producing over two billion lethal doses. Miller pointed out that in August, CBP conducted its largest-ever fentanyl bust in Arizona, confiscating four million pills at the Port of Lukeville. In addition to Operation Plaza Spike, CBP has launched 'Operation Apollo X'

Friends and family members of people who have died from overdoses in Broome County gather for an annual memorial, in downtown Binghamton, New York. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

What is Operation Apollo X?

Operation Apollo X is a counter-fentanyl surge operation led by the CBP that focuses on combating drug trafficking across the US-Mexico border. It builds on the earlier Operation Apollo, which started in Southern California in October 2023. The goal of Apollo X is to deploy CBP's resources and personnel across the southwest border, extending from El Paso, Texas to San Diego, California. The operation aims to disrupt the supply chains of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs entering the United States.