Detroit Area Border Protection Sees 1700% increase in Drug Seizures, 200%+ Increase in Firearms in 2020

DETROIT — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel operating at the multiple ports of entry throughout Michigan had an unprecedented year, with a 1,736 percent increase in seized marijuana and 227 percent increase in seized firearms amid public health concerns and restricted travel conditions related to the global Covid-19 pandemic.

The Detroit Field Office includes the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit Windsor Tunnel, the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie, and Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

Detroit Field Office Fiscal Year 2020 Enforcement Stats

Drug enforcement operations at Michigan’s five ports of entry netted the following totals: 9,059 pounds of marijuana – a 1,726 percent increase when compared with last fiscal year; 211 pounds of cocaine, more than 1.5 pounds of methamphetamines; and a little more than 15 pounds of fentanyl.

A total of 203 firearms were seized – a 227 percent increase from last year – along with 5,334 rounds of ammunition.

The amount of undeclared currency seized totaled $4.6 million dollars.

A total of 225 individuals were arrested in Fiscal Year 2020 for reasons to include: narcotics smuggling, human smuggling, firearms violations, and fraud.

Finally, our Agriculture Specialists intercepted 2,010 pests. Their diligence and expertise is crucial in preventing foreign pests from causing harm to the agriculture industry.

“This past year the men and women of CBP worked through some of the most adverse conditions that we have ever asked them to work through especially here in Detroit,” said Christopher Perry, Director of Field Operations for CBP in Detroit. “I am simply amazed at how our officers steadfastly enforced the laws of the United States, while fostering our nation’s economic security through lawful international trade and travel during the greatest pandemic my generation has seen.”