This week, US Border Patrol agents captured more than 90,000 Xanax tablets on Interstate 5, halting a large-scale narcotics smuggling plot.
At around 4:50 p.m. Wednesday, agents from the San Clemente Station stopped the driver of a black pickup truck travelling north near Camp Pendleton.
During the car stop, agents interviewed the driver and requested help from a K-9 unit, which detected the presence of concealed narcotics.
Agents then uncovered 11 cartons containing individual packages labelled Farmapram, an over-the-counter version of Xanax available in Mexico.
The parcels contained 90,090 tablets, with an estimated street value of more than $600,000.
Following further inquiry at the San Clemente Station, the driver, narcotics, and vehicle were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The driver is now facing state charges of possession with the intent to deliver a controlled drug.
“This seizure sends a clear message: we will not tolerate dangerous drugs on our streets,” stated Jeffrey Stalnaker, Acting Chief Patrol Agent for the San Diego Sector.
When Xanax, a schedule IV narcotic intended to treat anxiety and panic disorders, is abused recreationally, it can have potentially fatal consequences.
According to the San Diego County Drug Overdose Surveillance Report published this year, benzodiazepines – the classification for brands of depressants such as Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin – followed fentanyl, amphetamines, and other opioids in terms of overdose deaths from 2021 to 2023.
In the first three quarters of 2023, 72% of overdose deaths were opioid-related, with between 150 and 200 deaths per quarter. Benzodiazepines caused about 25 or fewer deaths per quarter.
