The data the White House has cited to say Canada is responsible for a “massive” increase in fentanyl flowing across the northern border include a large drug bust that, according to the U.S. border agency, has no known connection to Canada.
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Although the seizure of 14.8 pounds of fentanyl is listed in U.S. Customs and Border Protection data as associated with the “northern border,” and therefore included in last year’s 43-pound total, a spokesperson for the agency said the seizure has no known nexus to Canada. It was included in the total because of its proximity to the border and the involvement of northern border patrol staff in the investigation, which was conducted by a task force from multiple U.S. law-enforcement agencies.
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Investigators amassed evidence that a car used by the alleged drug traffickers, which had California licence plates, travelled from Phoenix to Spokane in the weeks prior to the seizure, court records show. There is no mention of Canada in the criminal indictment against the three men, or the affidavit sworn by the border agent.
“The evidence developed in this case is consistent with membership in a cartel-based drug trafficking network,” prosecutors state in one of the court filings. Osvaldo Guadalupe Soto-Orduno, Jose Roman Lizarraga Gerardo and Jose Efrain Gonzalez Rodriguez were charged in connection with the investigation. The allegations have not been tested in court.
Last Updated: 05.Feb.2025 19:37 EST
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