Governor Doug Ducey blames President Joe Biden for neglecting the U.S border for the rise in lethal drugs that have been coming into the country, as the number of deaths causing specially among teenagers due to Fentanyl overdoses are now taking over car crashes.
This week, Biden was slammed by the Republican governor for fueling an “opioid epidemic in America” amidst his handling of the crisis on border that has seen a historic number of immigrants coming into the US illegally.
At a press conference with other governors in Mission, Texas on Wednesday, Ducey said that, “It’s not just the people crossing the border, it’s the lethal drugs.”
“Almost 2,000 pounds of fentanyl and over 13,000 pounds of methamphetamine have been seized in Arizona sectors alone this year.”
He added: “Just think about how many drugs are slipping through the cracks and slipping into the bloodstreams in our communities. This isn’t a figure of speech, this is our reality.”
Ducey also mentioned that the more number of teenagers having been recently dying dur to fentanyl overdose than from car accounts, suicides or Covid-19 in Pima County, which includes the city of Tucson.
“Fentanyl overdoses have replaced car accidents as the leading cause of death for people 19 and younger in Pima County — one of our border communities,” Ducey said.
“Pima County deputy sheriffs are responding to a call involving fentanyl every 40 hours.”
According to data from the Pima County Health Department, 140 people died of fentanyl overdoses in the first six months of this year.
Sixteen of those who died were under the age of 19, while 30 were between the ages of 20 and 29.
In recent months, Biden has come under increasing fire for his handling of the border crisis.
Last week, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that Biden’s failure to secure the southern border would result in the deaths of young Americans as drug cartels exploited the country’s vulnerability.
Following a two-month nationwide crackdown, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced last week that nearly 2 million fentanyl-laced fake pills had been seized.
Following a two-month nationwide crackdown that resulted in 810 arrests, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced last week that nearly 2 million fentanyl-laced fake pills had been seized.
