Over $1 Million Worth of Fentanyl Found Hidden in Flour, Coffee Packages

More than $1 million worth of fentanyl was recently found hidden in a number of different food products, including flour bags and coffee cans.

According to a press release from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the incident occurred on July 3, at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry along the U.S.-Mexico border in California. At around 10:50 p.m. local time on July 3, CBP officers stationed at the port of entry encountered two men attempting to gain entry into the U.S.

The incident comes as officials across the U.S. have continued to warn of the dangers of fentanyl and the increased potential for overdose events.

CBP said that the two men, a 43-year-old and a 50-year-old, were driving a 2005 GMC Yukon and showed officers a passport and a "California identification card," while attempting to enter the U.S.

According to CBP, a "cursory" inspection of the men's vehicle was conducted and led officers to discover several "packages wrapped in plastic concealed inside food products."

Following the discovery of the packages, CBP officers conducted a further search of the vehicle and found "46 packages containing fentanyl hidden within flour bags, ground coffee cans, creamer cans and powdered milk cans," the press release said.

CBP said that the 46 packages contained 59.08 pounds of fentanyl pills and 42.46 pounds of fentanyl powder. Combined, the illicit narcotics have an estimated street value of over $1.2 million, officials said.

The fentanyl powder and pills were seized by CBP officials and both men in the car at the time of the incident were taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations. According to the press release, both men were later transported to San Diego's Metropolitan Correctional Center.

Following the seizure, CBP's deputy director of field operations in San Diego, Anne Maricich, said, "We are seeing a rise in fentanyl smuggling attempts."

"Our officers are working vigilantly to prevent the entry of this dangerous drug. Our field office is also diligently working on mitigating the risks involved with seizing this lethal narcotic," Maricich added.

Over the past several months, CBP officials and law enforcement agencies across the nation have continued to intercept fentanyl and warn of the dangers associated with the drug.

"Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine," the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) states. "Fentanyl is added to heroin to increase its potency, or be disguised as highly potent heroin.… Clandestinely-produced fentanyl is primarily manufactured in Mexico."

Earlier this month, law enforcement officials in Colorado stopped a driver who was found to be carrying 114 pounds of pure fentanyl powder.

On Thursday, the DEA announced that roughly 1 million fake fentanyl pill were discovered in a California home, which was "the largest seizure of fentanyl pills DEA has made in California."

In April, the DEA warned officials across the nation of a rise in "fentanyl-related mass-overdose events."

"Already this year, numerous mass-overdose events have resulted in dozens of overdoses and deaths. Drug traffickers are driving addiction, and increasing their profits, by mixing fentanyl with other illicit drugs. Tragically, many overdose victims have no idea they are ingesting deadly fentanyl, until it's too late," DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a statement in April.

Newsweek reached out to CBP for further comment.