Father who lost son to fentanyl says lethal drug is 'national security crisis'
Jaime Puerta, who lost his son to fentanyl poisoning, reacts to the growing crisis and demands federal authorities step up and take action to combat smuggling.
A grieving father who lost his son to fentanyl poisoning ripped the Biden administration for border policies that have allegedly allowed a record number of dangerous drugs to cross into the country.
"Every time I hear these stories, it sickens me because I feel like we're not doing enough to curb or abate these drug deaths across the nation," Jaime Puerta, whose son Daniel died from fentanyl poisoning, told host John Roberts Thursday on "America Reports." "We need our federal authorities to step up their game because we are being massacred out here."
Fentanyl poising has been an increasing cause of death for Americans across the nation. Social media has been linked to the deaths of fentanyl victims in at least 22 states as social-sharing platforms have also been weaponized as drug markets.
FENTANYL POISONING DEATHS DOUBLE IN 30 STATES OVER 2 YEARS: STUDY
Critics argue the Biden administration has taken little action to directly tackle this issue, prompting greater pressure from victims' families, Congressional leaders and health care workers.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is one of several lawmakers calling for the Biden administration to declare the fentanyl crisis a national security issue and a weapon of mass destruction.
The DEA says cartels are manufacturing fake pills made to look identical to legitimate prescription medication, with sometimes lethal doses of fentanyl. (Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA))
"Given how many Americans are being murdered, the whole federal government and every tactic and capability that we have should be utilized to stop the death and destruction that fentanyl is causing," Moody wrote in a letter to President Biden.
Puerta and other parents are raising the alarm as more fentanyl deaths claim the lives of Americans.
"50% of all the seizures that are happening to the Border Patrol are being seized down in our southern border," Puerta said. "It's a wide-open border and it's coming in. Only 4% of the fentanyl coming into the country is being interdicted."
In the 2021 fiscal year, Customs and Border Patrol seized 10,586 pounds of fentanyl from the border, almost triple the amount seized in fiscal year 2020.
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As pressure mounts for more definitive action from President Biden, experts are warning Americans to be on guard and be wary of who they trust online as many pharmaceuticals are fake pills laced with the deadly drug.
"[Fentanyl death] is not an overdose. That is a poisoning," Puerta stated.
Fox News' Rebekah Castor, Audrey Conklin and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.