Thousand of Fentanyl-Containing Pills Seized at California Port of Entry

A recent attempt to smuggle hundreds of counterfeit oxycodone pills through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in California has led to a major breakthrough in the fight against fentanyl trafficking. The pills, which were found to contain the ultra-deadly fentanyl, were seized in a joint operation between federal officials and local law enforcement.

The seizure is believed to be the first time that federal officials along the California-Mexico border have intercepted counterfeit oxycodone tablets containing fentanyl as they were being smuggled from Mexico into the United States. According to court records, defendant Sergio Linyuntang Mendoza Bohon of Tijuana, Mexico, entered the United States at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry as a pedestrian on February 10, 2016.

During the primary inspection, a Customs and Border Patrol Officer observed an unnatural looking bulge on the defendant and he was referred to secondary inspection, where Customs and Border Protection officers found the tablets labeled as oxycodone concealed in his underwear. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agents responded to the Port of Entry and arrested defendant Mendoza Bohon.

According to a charging document, Bohon attempted to smuggle 1,183 tablets of fentanyl that were labeled as oxycodone, and 5.4 grams of powdered fentanyl. During his post-arrest statement, defendant Bohon admitted that he knew that the tablets were ‘oxy’ [oxycodone] and that he was attempting to smuggle the oxycodone into the United States.

However, the Drug Enforcement Administration Laboratory confirmed that the pills contained fentanyl and not oxycodone. The Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services has urged individuals to refrain from taking prescription-type pills that are not prescribed and obtained from one’s own doctor.

“Unsuspecting individuals who illegally purchase oxycodone could potentially die from the ingestion of what turns out to be fentanyl tablets,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. “We are very concerned that these counterfeit pills could cause serious harm to users. Even miniscule amounts of fentanyl can have devastating consequences for those who abuse it or literally even touch it.”

In federal court in San Diego, defendant Sergio Linyuntang Mendoza Bohon was arraigned on a charge that he unlawfully imported a controlled substance (18 U.S.C. § 545). The case is ongoing, and no sentence has been handed down yet. The defendant is currently in custody awaiting trial.

MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS

Drug Trafficking

Dennis Red Elk, Marijuana Possession, South Dakota 2012

Jun 22, 2015

Drug Trafficking

Jerry Harris and David Gibson, Heroin Conspiracy, Indiana 2018

Sep 20, 2019

Drug Trafficking

Larry Wayne Free, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Texas 2023

Feb 3, 2023

Drug Trafficking

Zachary L. McCleary, Fentanyl and Morphine Tampering, Missouri 2018

Jul 23, 2018