Governor Stitt receives safety briefing from Texas law enforcement officials and visits US-Mexico border

Today, Gov. Kevin Stitt and eight other governors received a law enforcement briefing from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw and Chairman of the National Council of border patrols, Brandon Judd, regarding the southern border crisis which has impacted use, trafficking and distribution. of illicit drugs in Oklahoma. After the briefing, Governor Stitt toured the US-Mexico border by boat on the Rio Grande.

“The crisis that President Biden has created on our southern border is incredible. In the last year alone, more than a million people were arrested or apprehended while attempting to enter the United States illegally ”, said Governor Stitt.

“This border crisis affects our entire nation. In Oklahoma, we have seen an increase in illicit drug trafficking, namely methamphetamine and fentanyl, smuggling our southern border from Mexico. Most of the methamphetamines available in our state are produced in Mexico, and fentanyl-related deaths have increased by more than 150% compared to last year. This is a serious security issue that has a direct impact on the Oklahoman.

Oklahoma law enforcement continues to seize record amounts of illicit drugs linked to Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs). Due to Oklahoma’s strategic location, since the 1990s some of the most powerful DTOs operating in Mexico have established distribution channels in the state. There are 935 miles of interstate freeways in Oklahoma, including Interstate 40 that runs across the country from Barstow, California to Wilmington, North Carolina. This extensive network of interstate freeways is attractive to drug dealers and creates a unique challenge for law enforcement in Oklahoma.

Methamphetamine, which is smuggled across the southwest border, is the biggest drug threat to Oklahoma. Most of the methamphetamine available in Oklahoma is produced in Mexico. It is often imported from Sinaloa, Mexico, then repackaged in Arizona, California or Texas. In February 2020, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) Highway Interdiction Unit seized 116 pounds of methamphetamine during a ban stop in the Yukon. In April 2020, interdiction officers seized 53 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop near El Reno. In May 2021, officers seized 60 pounds of methamphetamine during a search warrant in Oklahoma City.

The main opioid threat in Oklahoma is prescription pill counterfeiting. The number of counterfeit M30 oxycodone tablets containing fentanyl has increased significantly over the past year. Often referred to as “Mexican oxys,” the counterfeit pills are produced in Mexico and then smuggled across the southwest border. To date, OBN has seized approximately 80,000 counterfeit oxycodone tablets. The number of fatal fentanyl-related overdoses increased by more than 150% between 2019 and 2020.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Idaho Governor Brad Little, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, the Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, as well as representatives from the Texas Military Department and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

Today’s law enforcement briefing and border visit are part of Governor Stitt’s visit to the southern border. On September 20, 2021, 26 Republican governors, including Stitt, sent a letter to President Biden requesting a meeting with the White House within 15 days of October 5, 2021, to discuss the border situation and its impacts on the surrounding states. . The White House gave no acknowledgment or response to the letter. The governors’ visit is a direct reaction to President Biden’s lack of response.