NYC's Largest-Ever Fentanyl Bust, Pills Among Toys: Congressman Tells Biden to 'Wake Up'

Susan Jones : Oct 5, 2022
CNS News

"But again, the killing of Americans comes from our border. And the policies of the Biden administration have made America extremely vulnerable. And it's not just America as you normally think of national security, it's down to every family, every child in America is vulnerable because of these policies." -Representative Brad Wenstrup, (R-OH)

[CNSNews.com] The Drug Enforcement Administration has made its largest-ever seizure of fentanyl in New York City. The 15,000 fentanyl pills, in candy colors, were "concealed in a LEGO box to deter law enforcement attention," DEA said. (Screengrab image)

"The killing of Americans comes from our border," Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) said on Wednesday. "And the policies of the Biden administration have made America extremely vulnerable."

"I don't know how many Americans have to die before the Biden administration wakes up," he said.

The fentanyl pills seized in New York City were imprinted with "M" and "30" to resemble 30mg Oxycodone Hydrochloride pills.

The DEA warned that the seizure "signals more widespread distribution of these dangerous, colorful pills." It also highlights the Mexican cartels' latest effort to "use colors and dyes to mimic candy and/or legitimate prescription drugs," DEA said.

"Rainbow fentanyl is a clear and present danger, and it is here in New York City," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino:

"Approximately forty percent of the pills we analyze in our lab contain a lethal dose; and in a recent 15-week enforcement operation, DEA New York seized half a million lethal pills. These staggering statistics underscore the importance of reminding the public that just one pill can kill; and this operation alone removed the equivalent of 500,000 lethal doses of fentanyl from circulation in the Empire State.

"In the same reporting period, DEA seized the equivalent of over 36 million lethal doses nationally," Tarentino added.

Along with the significant fentanyl seizure, a woman identified as Latesha Bush of Trenton, NJ, was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first and third degrees. (Bush was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday, September 30, 2022. Bail was set at $25,000 cash/$150,000 insurance company bond/$100,000 partially secured surety bond.)

'We should blame China'

The DEA said the fentanyl pills seized in New York originated in Mexico, which has become a fentanyl manufacturing hub, using chemical ingredients sent from China.

That's the problem, said Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio).

"So this is a weapon of mass destruction cloaked as candy as far as I'm concerned. And so innocent people are going to die if this hits the streets, and fortunately this stash was collected," Wenstrup told "Mornings With Maria" on Wednesday:

"They said this stash could kill up to half a million people. You know, the DEA has said that this is a deal that comes from China. They sell the precursors now. They're not selling direct fentanyl. They sell the precursors to making fentanyl, send it to Mexico. Educated chemists put this together and create these products.

"I had (a) meeting a couple of weeks ago, Maria, with the ambassador of China. He wanted to take a swing through Ohio, he said, and talk about things. But one of the things he said was, they don't like being blamed for the fentanyl problem in the United States of America, and I said, well, do something about it, and we will be glad to work with you on that, for example.

"And he said, well, we sell a legal product, which these products are legal by themselves. And he said, we sell a legal product; we can't be responsible for what they do with it.

"Well, we can control who we sell things to and what is being done with it, and I said the United States would be glad to work with China on that and probably with the Mexican government and with Mexican military as well. We'll see if he follows up on this.

"But look, in 2021 alone, 72,000 Americans are dead because of illicit fentanyl. I can tell you as a surgeon that fentanyl has a great use medicinally and always has. We don't want to remove that. But this is illicit fentanyl, it's deadly fentanyl. It's a weapon of mass destruction. And so we've got to nip this in the bud.

"But again, the killing of Americans comes from our border. And the policies of the Biden administration have made America extremely vulnerable. And it's not just America as you normally think of national security, it's down to every family, every child in America is vulnerable because of these policies."

Why shouldn't we blame China? host Maria Bartiromo asked, noting that ...Biden has not raised the fentanyl issue with Chinese leaders:

"We should blame China," Wenstrup said.

"And I will tell you, about seven years ago I think it was, I was in China, met with their top leadership, and I said, look, you're killing Americans, it will probably be a problem in your country someday. But you've got to stop shipping fentanyl to America. So they cut back on this, and what's their way around it? They send the precursors to Mexico, to the cartels.

"Look, the policies of the Biden administration are in favor of the cartels and their growing deadly business, and also it's now deadly to Americans. I don't know how many Americans have to die before the Biden administration wakes up," Wenstrup said. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here