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Fentanyl distribution rises 333% in Tijuana and alerts the Mexican border
Tijuana (Mexico), Sep 6 (EFE).- The distribution of fentanyl in Tijuana, on the Mexican border with California, increased by 333% in the tourist area, which puts US and Mexican authorities on alert. This increase is estimated based on the seizure of 269 kilograms of fentanyl between January and August 2022 by the Secretary of Citizen Security of the State of Baja California, most of it in the well-known North Zone of Tijuana, where the migratory flow is concentrated and tourist for being one kilometer from the border port of San Ysidro. In a tour that Efe carried out through the site, David Amaury Salas Sánchez, director of the State Force of the Secretariat of Citizen Security of Baja California, commented that they have had quite a few fentanyl seizures this year, “when before it was very rare that they were observed that type of substance in the city.” The officer argued that this increase in distribution and consumption occurs because the cost of distribution per dose is much lower, 50 pesos (about 2.5 dollars), compared to other substances. In addition, the effects that this synthetic drug generates in people are much stronger, “twice as much as methamphetamine and last longer.” ‘ZONE OF TOLERANCE’ Another point of attention for the authorities is that “the Northern Zone continues to be a favorable space for criminal groups to dispute control, due to its proximity to the border ports of San Ysidro and El Chaparral, for being the zone of tolerance and being in the center of the tourism zone”, according to S. Alas Sanchez. “Here the sale of drugs is very high and the dispute between them, which causes constant deaths, usually daily there is a person executed in the area, that is why we are constantly monitoring this place,” said the official. Iván Carpio Sánchez, head of the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE), confirmed to the media that they have also noticed an increase in fentanyl, and although “the issue is federal,” he acknowledged concern about it. “We are working on it even with the United States Government, which is where this substance is commonly reaching,” he said. Mexico increased the seizures of fentanyl, other synthetic drugs and chemical precursors amid pressure from the United States to stop this type of narcotic. Fentanyl seizures have grown 814% during the Government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, which began in December 2018, compared to the previous Administration, according to a report last April from the Security Secretariat on the Bicentennial Understanding, the new agreement of security with the United States. RISK FOR MIGRANTS Because it is an area close to the border ports, through which US authorities send deportees to Tijuana and where migrants who arrive in the city usually meet, security authorities consider it to be a risk area for migrants. The director of the State Force said that the risk is because many of these criminal groups “use these people, taking advantage of the fact that they do not have a job or they lack money to survive, they use them to be able to sell drugs.” The official explained that people from other countries have been detained “for carrying out this type of activity.” they become consumers, which creates a problem for them,” he said. The authorities point out that the distribution in the area occurs in the streets and nightclubs, always from hand to hand, and doses have been confiscated in pills, powder and small blocks that are easy to hide, but cause severe damage to those who consume them. HEALTH ISSUE Adrián Medina Amarillas, Secretary of Health of Baja California, pointed out that in recent months they have identified the increase in the consumption of fentanyl and methamphetamine, which are triggering addictions and overdoses. “Many of the cases of death due to overdose occur on public roads, so it is difficult to have an exact record. They do not reach our health centers, that is why we do not identify them, ”he declared to the media. To reverse the situation, the official explained that they have carried out training in the emergency services of all hospitals in the health sector, so that “overdoses can be reversed and prevent the patient from dying.” (c) EFE Agency
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