Cameron County is the thirteenth largest county in Texas and is one of the many critical counties that share a border with Mexico. The County has been faced with rising concerns over cross-border drug trafficking, as the result of a rising influx of illegal narcotics across the Texas/Mexico border. In response, Sheriff Garza aims to upgrade and “modernize” his office’s counter-narcotics technology by deploying SwabTek tests County-wide.
According to a report from the federal Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, Mexico has now become the “dominant source” of fentanyl in the United States. Fentanyl is being principally trafficked by land across the US’ southern border with Mexico. Fentanyl is a type of synthetic opioid that has been the primary driver of the US opioid epidemic. The drug is 50 times more potent than heroin, and the Center for Disease Control estimates that it has been responsible for more than 100,000 overdose deaths in the US over the past year.
More than ever, it is essential that enforcement personnel at the border, and in surrounding communities, have the tools they need to do their jobs effectively and safely. Improved efforts to screen for narcotics at the border, and in the field, are an essential piece of policing narcotics and keeping border communities, and the country at large, safe.
SwabTek’s narcotics identification tests, including their Fentanyl+ Test Kit, provide simple, safe, and cost-effective means for narcotics screening. The highly durable and easily transportable format of the tests make them an excellent tool to expand the scope of narcotics screening practices. In addition, the instant and accurate results allow law enforcement to dramatically increase the throughput of their testing processes, allowing for more testing to be conducted in less time.
Cameron County’s deployment will see SwabTek’s tests put in the hands of patrol, forensics and narcotics deputies working to combat the drug trade in the region. In addition, tests will be deployed by corrections personnel at the Carrizales-Rucker Cameron County Detention Center to counter the entry and circulation of contraband in the facility.
“These Counter-Narcotics kits are a great tool for our officers to quickly and accurately test for narcotics in the field,” said Sheriff Garza. “We are leveraging the latest technology to ensure that our officers are properly equipped and ready for the ever-evolving challenges they face on a daily basis.”
SwabTek has worked closely with the Sheriff’s Office to provide a comprehensive training and certification program to allow officers to deploy SwabTek tests quickly and effectively.
In a continued effort to support counter-narcotics efforts at the border, SwabTek will be in attendance at the Border Security Expo in San Antonio, TX, on March 29th and 30th. Attendees of the event will each receive samples of SwabTek’s Fentanyl+ Test Kit as a part of the Expo’s giveaway. Agencies interested in deploying SwabTek’s technology are encouraged to connect with the company’s representatives at this event.
SwabTek is a US-based manufacturer that produces the world's only dry reagent detection tests for narcotics and explosives. SwabTek’s technology replaces hazardous liquid chemicals and complicated procedures with simple and safe, dry-reagent technology. SwabTek products are available online now at https://swabtek.com/collections/kits and offline by contacting a member of SwabTek’s team at sales@swabtek.com.
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SwabTek
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