Shocking Twist: Americans Mule Most Fentanyl

The Trump administration declared a national emergency over drug trafficking and pushed record enforcement at the border — but the full picture of what’s driving drug seizure numbers is more complex than the headlines suggest.

Story Snapshot

Trump signed executive actions declaring a national emergency over fentanyl and drug trafficking at the southern border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) makes more than 85 percent of drug seizures at official ports of entry — not in open border areas.
Fentanyl seizures dropped sharply in fiscal year 2025, down from their 2023 peak, while cocaine seizures rose.
Data shows most fentanyl smugglers caught at ports of entry are U.S. citizens, not migrants crossing on foot.

Trump Declares War on Drug Trafficking

On February 1, 2025, President Trump signed a presidential action declaring a national emergency over the flow of illicit drugs across U.S. borders. The order named fentanyl and criminal trafficking networks as direct threats to American safety. Trump also signed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act in July 2025, which stiffened prison sentences for fentanyl dealers. These moves sent a clear signal that the administration was treating the drug crisis as a matter of national security, not just a law enforcement issue.

The administration tied its border crackdown directly to drug interdiction. Officials pointed to record enforcement actions and zero catch-and-release policies as proof the strategy was working. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that since Trump took office, illegal crossings dropped sharply. Supporters argue that tighter border control forces drug smugglers to take bigger risks, making them easier to catch. Critics, however, say the seizure numbers tell a more complicated story.

Where Are Drugs Actually Being Caught?

The data consistently shows that the vast majority of drugs — especially fentanyl — are seized at official border crossings, not in the open stretches between them. In fiscal year 2025, CBP made 86 percent of all fentanyl seizures at ports of entry. That pattern has held for years. Congressional Research Service analysis found that between fiscal years 2014 and 2018, about 65 percent of all seized drugs by weight were caught at land ports of entry. This means inspection technology and officer staffing at checkpoints matter more than what happens in open border terrain.

Between fiscal years 2022 and 2024, Border Patrol stopped more than 5.8 million migrants. Drugs were found on only 249 of them. That’s a tiny fraction. The data strongly suggests that migrants crossing on foot are not the main source of drug smuggling. Instead, traffickers use passenger vehicles and rely on people who can blend in at official crossings — including U.S. citizens.

Who Is Actually Smuggling Fentanyl?

Freedom of Information Act data shows that about 81 percent of people caught smuggling fentanyl at southern border ports of entry between fiscal years 2019 and June 2024 were U.S. citizens. Transnational criminal groups prefer using American citizens because they attract less attention at checkpoints. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed to Congress in 2023 that the vast majority of fentanyl enters through ports of entry. This fact challenges the idea that stopping migrants is the key to stopping fentanyl.

Fentanyl seizures peaked in fiscal year 2023 at about 26,700 pounds along the southern border — a 480 percent jump from 2020. But seizures fell sharply after that. By fiscal year 2025, fentanyl seizures dropped 28 percent from the prior year. By April 2026, only 463 pounds were confiscated at U.S. borders for the month. Whether that drop means less fentanyl is being smuggled — or less is being caught — is something the data alone cannot answer. What is clear is that more screening technology at ports of entry would allow agents to inspect more vehicles and catch more hidden drugs, regardless of who is carrying them.

What the Numbers Really Tell Us

Seizure totals are not the same as total drug flow. When seizures go up, it can mean enforcement improved — or it can mean more drugs are being smuggled. When seizures go down, it might mean fewer drugs are moving, or that smugglers changed their methods. The Trump administration’s aggressive posture at the border has real value in disrupting criminal networks and sending a deterrent message. But the most effective tool for stopping fentanyl specifically is better scanning equipment and more trained officers at legal crossing points — where nearly all of it enters.