U.S.-Bound Coconuts Stuffed With 660 Pounds Of Drugs Seized

Topline

Authorities in Mexico seized a truck full of more than 660 pounds of what they say appears to be fentanyl stored in coconuts not far from the U.S. border, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (FGR) said this week, as the drug continues to drive an increase in drug overdose deaths in the U.S.

Key Facts

Federal police arrested two people in Sonora, Mexico, they said were driving a truck full of the allegedly drug-stuffed coconuts, according to the FGR, who said an investigation is ongoing.

Photos and videos shared online by authorities show agents opening coconuts to reveal they’ve been hollowed out inside and stuffed with plastic bags full of blue pills.

The drugs were found by police in Puerto Libertad, a port city less than a four-hour drive from the border Mexico shares with Arizona.

The FGR did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.

Key Background

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid estimated to be as much as 100 times more potent than morphine. The drug can be fatal at starting doses as small as two milligrams. Researchers say fentanyl and other forms of opioids are a driving force behind the increase in drug overdoses across the U.S. over the past few years. The fentanyl circulating in the U.S. is primarily supplied by Mexican drug cartels, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. In recent months, fentanyl and other drugs hidden among legal goods have been seized by authorities, like the 2,000 pills baked into bread rolls discovered by a drug-sniffing dog in Sinaloa in November.

Further Reading

Economic Toll Of Opioid Epidemic: $1.3 Trillion A Year (Forbes)

Vaccine Targeting Effects Of Fentanyl Developed By Researchers—It Could Help Tackle Opioid Misuse (Forbes)