LOUISVILLE, Ky. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Louisville seized a shipment of a dangerous narcotic bound for a home in Chicago.
The seizure of Acrylfentanyl took place on July 10. Acrylfentanyl is a synthetic opioid in the fentanyl family and is well-known to the medical and law enforcement communities nationwide.
This shipment originated in Ocotepec, Mexico, and was heading toward Illinois in a shipment labeled as handmade wooden picture gifts and weighed 52 pounds.
“This narcotic is not only dangerous to the user, it is very dangerous to our officers,” said Thomas Mahn, Port Director, Louisville. “Our officers take every precaution with every shipment they inspect. Our officers worked diligently to stop this parcel from reaching its destination and we are very relieved no one was seriously injured during this seizure.”
When CBP officers looked at the shipment they found two large pieces of religious artwork. When the pictures were x-rayed, officers found something inside of the frames. CBP tested some of the powder and it came back as acrylfentanyl.
Acrylfentanyl isn't more powerful than other fentanyls. Acrylfentanyl is 50-100 times more powerful than morphine. However, this is the same morphine equivalency as fentanyl itself and lower than that of other fentanyl analogues.