Sheriff Rick Staly told a pre-dawn national television audience early Wednesday morning that Flagler County has had 12 deaths from drug overdoses so far this year, and that seizures of fentanyl, by volume, are up 275 percent so far this year, “the first five months compared to all of last year so there’s a huge wave coming of fentanyl,” he said. “Frankly, it’s already here.”
Staly was appearing on Fox and Friends First, the 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. lead-in show to Fox and Friends. The show is hosted by Carley Shimkus, in a segment that began with a large graphic calling it “Biden’s Border Crisis.”
Fox is not a friendly zone for the president, but NBC has called it “Immigration Border Crisis” or “Southern Border Crisis,” and Biden’s own administration refers to it as a “Border Crisis,” as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection department does in a briefing entitled “CBP’s Response,” an item last modified in January, but referring to numbers during the Trump administration, when the surge across the border became pronounced.
“Nationwide, CBP’s apprehensions for [fiscal year] 2019 totaled 1,148,000, more than 970,000 along the Southwest Border alone,” CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan is quoted as saying. “This is a staggering 88 percent higher than the fiscal year 2018. These are numbers that no immigration system in the world can handle, not even this country.”
CBP’s more recent figures, in a monthly report released last week, indicate that “there were 239,416 encounters along the southwest land border in May, a 2 percent increase compared to April.” Annualized, that would translate to more than 2.5 million encounters. Of those, 25 percent of the apprehended individuals had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months, and 69 percent were single adults (a 2 percent decrease from April).
“Well, the border is completely out of control,” Staly said on the show, referring to his trip to the border. (See: “Crisis at the Border: Sheriff Staly’s On-the-Ground Report on a ‘Failed Immigration Policy’ Affecting All Communities.”)
“The border patrol is probably the most demoralized law enforcement agency I’ve seen in my career and I’ve been doing this 47 years,” he said. “They’re basically just paper pushers at this point. They don’t have the staff to be able to interdict the drugs that are coming across the border that are being smuggled by the mules. It was definitely eye opening.”
The May report indicates a nationwide drug-seizure decline, month-over-month–22 percent for cocaine, 23 percent for methamphetamines, 29 percent for heroin, 12 percent for fentanyl. A seizure decline is not necessarily an indication of declining smuggling, as it could also reflect either savvier operations among smugglers or less emphasis on seizures among the border patrol. The figures have also reflected seasonal seesaws. (See the fuller numbers here.)
Staly was focused on fentanyl. “It doesn’t matter if if you’re a border town or city or not, because the border is coming to you, to every city every county in America,” he said, repeating a theme hen developed in his report back from the border last year.
Drug overdoses are all investigated as homicides at first, until ruled otherwise. “I’ve got four poison peddlers that are in state prison now for selling that lethal dose,” the sheriff said. “What we want the public to know, and especially the addicts that are using this stuff, they’re always looking for the best high that they can get unless they’re treated and can come off of it. They’re basically playing Russian roulette.”
The Centers for Disease Control reports that fentanyl “is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.”
It’s finding its way into other drugs, including marijuana. “You just never know when you get that fatal dose,” Staly said at the end of the three-minute segment.
Deborah Coffey says
Okay, but fentanyl and other drugs wouldn’t be arriving here if there was NO DEMAND! Let’s admit that our society is very sick, very needy and easily swayed by false information.
David Schaefer says
He is a republican just remember that. These drugs arrive in many ways especially by boat on both sides of the US.
amarino says
I do not agree-people are just reckless and drug dealers offer “samples” to get them hooked-once they are hooked they play Russian roulette-drug dealers cash in….
Shark says
If this sheriff thinks all of the drugs come across the border in Mexico he lives in Fox Entertainment reality !!!! I guess he never heard of Miami or the Keys!!!!!
Harry says
I guess when t-rump was in charge Staly thought all drug traffic stopped.
Gary R says
Sounds to me people making excuses for the crisis at the border. Of course drugs arrive in many ways, drug traffic does not stop, never will stop, and it doesn’t matter who is President. What Sheriff Rick Staly is saying is there is an increase and he is right. Why is there an increase in drug traffic? What changed? The change is an open border, hence an increase of drugs and more deaths from it.
The border now is a welcome center and the border patrol are travel agents.
amarino says
It not that- the drugs coming from Mexico are up two-fold!!!
The ORIGINAL land of no turn signals says
Drugs should be illegal to have and sell period.Oh wait they are then why are the numbers so high?If drugs are illegal and apparently you buy them easily then do the left think it would work for guns? Easiest way to eliminate drugs is to eliminate the users,no customers no sale.
Juken says
Drugs have existed in every society and there’s many detrimental drugs that are legal that we don’t bat the eye at. Addiction is always the issue and it’s never the substance, why would you do heroin instead of spending time with your kids? We’ve learned far beyond the 1920s that it’s less about the drugs and more about the why. Having legal narcotics can allow you to direct access to resources directly to the addict, you can fight the black market in the only manner that works in capitalism which is undercutting to competition and providing a better product aka we can provide pure drugs that aren’t cut with fentanyl and addicts can properly dose themselves. I know this is a hard pill to swallow but a century of bashing brains and burning dope has proven actually more beneficial for cartels and drugs destroy out society.
I am sick of all of yall says
Samples, this is laughable. Nobody offers samples, this is not the 80s and 90s. Stop getting your knowledge from TV.
Ann M. says
I do not appreciate your ignorance- I have seen my son overdose more than once and my knowledge comes from him-wake up yall
Angela says
I am terrified of our justice system.
Sheriff Rick loves to bully the problem rather than collaborate for greater understanding and find a better path to overcome this situation. The Sheriff loves the idea that there is a “bad guy” to blame and put away. We can make pathways for success for our suffering nation instead of turning us against the so-called “Enemy”.
Bullying the problem has never worked, it only has made it worse.
Please read “Real News” and understand the real mental health struggles people are challenged with and help them not hurt them in an attempt to look like some kind of hero to FOX NEWS? Fox News has admitted that its news is entertainment. Please read the facts on human nature and understand kindness goes a long way.
United we stand, we are divided.
If you really want to help your neighbor stop judging everyone and start understanding.