The Cayman Islands’ Customs and Border Control service says it is concerned about the increasing importation of the illicit drug Fentanyl following two recent seizures of the potentially deadly opioid.
The CBC said it has encountered local cases in which milder forms of controlled drugs were seized and found to be infused or tainted with more lethal substances, including Fentanyl.
Over the past two and a half months, the department officers have seized 288 Fentanyl tablets; 18 pounds of ganja concealed in luggage; 6.95 grams of cocaine hydrochloride; 0.23 grams of cocaine base; several ganja-infused cigarettes, lollipops and other candy forms; and eight oxymorphone tablets.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the CBC said the production, handling and consumption of the drug has led to an “unprecedented number of Fentanyl-related sudden deaths in the USA and Canada”.
According to November 2021 data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were “indications of an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the US during a 12-month period ending April 2021. This trend shows an increase of 28.5% from the 78,056 deaths during the same period the year before.”
Cayman’s Director of CBC Charles Clifford said in the statement, “Drug abuse is generally very harmful to a person’s health and the recent trend involving the importation of illicitly produced Fentanyl is very worrying and cause for significant concern.”
He added, “We are continuing our efforts to intercept illegal drugs at our borders, but I fear that it is only a matter of time before Fentanyl is listed as the primary cause of death in some sudden death cases locally.”
Users and handlers of Fentanyl have been known to experience symptoms such as haemorrhaging, severe physical pain and organ failure, which often lead to death.
“Illicit Fentanyl is produced in clandestine labs and is often mixed with other drugs such as cocaine and heroin, which multiplies the danger and risk of sudden death from consuming it,” CBC Senior Deputy Director Bruce Smith said.
The CBC noted that extremely dangerous drugs such as Fentanyl are often disguised in unassuming shapes and colours and manufactured in a variety of methods.
“Illicitly produced Fentanyl comes in many colours and forms including tablet, powder, crystals and liquid,” the CBC said.
“There is significant concern not only for the health and safety of the general public but also for the welfare of Law Enforcement personnel, at the border and elsewhere, who put themselves in harm’s way merely in the daily course of their duties.”
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