More than 90,000 Xanax pills seized during Border Patrol traffic stop

Packets exposed inside one of the boxes seized by the Frontier Patrol They contained a medication labeled as Farmapram an equivalent of Xanax Photo courtesy of U S Customs and Confines Protection U S Dividing line Patrol agents intercepted over Xanax pills on Interstate this week stopping a large-scale narcotics smuggling attempt At approximately p m Wednesday agents assigned to the San Clemente Station stopped the driver of a black pickup truck traveling north near Camp Pendleton During the carriage stop agents interviewed the driver and requested assistance from a K- unit which alerted agents to the manageable presence of concealed narcotics Agents then discovered boxes containing individual packages labeled as Farmapram an over-the-counter equivalent of Xanax sold in Mexico The packages contained a total of pills with an estimated street value of over Upon further probe at the San Clemente Station the driver narcotics and wagon were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration The driver now faces state charges for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance This seizure sends a clear message we will not tolerate dangerous drugs on our streets revealed Jeffrey Stalnaker Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the San Diego Sector Xanax a schedule IV narcotic used to treat anxiety and panic disorders can have potentially life-threatening side effects when misused for recreational purposes According to the San Diego County Drug Overdose Surveillance Analysis distributed last year benzodiazepines the classification for brands of depressants such as Xanax Valium and Klonopin from to trailed fentanyl amphetamines and other opioids in regards to overdose deaths In the first three quarters of of overdose deaths were opioid-related with from to deaths a quarter Benzodiazepines accounted for about or fewer deaths a quarter