Guam steps up fight against fentanyl smuggling

AGATENA (Pacific Island Times) – While methamphetamine and marijuana remain the main illegal substances smuggled into Guam, authorities are raising the alarm to prevent fentanyl from further entering the island.

“As fentanyl lands on Guam and claims the lives of our citizens, our officers remain on high alert and prepared to respond accordingly,” said Customs and Quarantine Commissioner Ike Peredo.

The customs agency seized 8.5 grams of fentanyl in 2023, which has since led to the deaths of seven people on the island. The agency said the amount of the deadly substance intercepted this year is subject to further analysis.

“We want to assure the community that we have been more aggressive in our duty to interdict illegal drugs since March 2022 when our officers first intercepted 79.4 grams of suspected illegal fentanyl,” Peredo said.

The agency said customs officers, federal task force members and K9 units “work relentlessly every day to detect and interdict illegal drugs at the border and ports of entry.”

In 2023 and 2024, Customs seized a total of 105.1 pounds of methamphetamine, 82 pounds of cocaine, 368 pounds of marijuana and its derivatives, and 0.06 pounds of ecstasy.

“Another 119 tablets suspected of containing illicit fentanyl and 4,000 marijuana cigarettes were seized in 2024,” Customs said in a news release.

The agency said there were 63 drug seizures in 2023 and 54 drug seizures in 2024.

Local and federal agencies are investigating the cases.

“Our officers and dedicated staff will continue to uphold that commitment to protect the people of Guam within the agency’s operational capabilities,” Peredo said. “We cannot emphasize how important it is to find and remove drugs from our island to prevent greater devastation in the lives of our neighbors and loved ones.”

Peredo sought the community’s help in curbing drug use on Guam by reporting any smuggling or movement of drugs and other contraband on the island.

According to authorities, fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent.

“This is a prescription drug that is manufactured and used illegally. Like morphine, it is a medication that is commonly used to treat patients in severe pain, especially after surgery, or to treat chronic pain patients whose bodies have become tolerant to other opioids,” the Guam Bureau of Statistics and Planning report states in 2022. “If a mass exposure were to occur, local Guam hospitals may not be prepared with the antidote needed.”

Last month, Senator William Parkinson introduced a bill seeking to address Guam’s escalating drug abuse crisis.

Currently, Guam law classifies deaths caused by first-degree drugs such as heroin, LSD, marijuana, etc. as aggravated murder, murder or manslaughter.

The bill also includes Class II drugs, including methamphetamine and fentanyl, in the definitions of aggravated murder, murder and manslaughter.

Guam has seen a sharp increase in drug-related deaths, including seven fentanyl-related deaths in four years and 37 methamphetamine-related overdose deaths in 2023.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reports that in 2023, methamphetamine was the leading cause of unnatural death on Guam, surpassing murder, suicide or motor vehicle accidents.

The bill proposes the following changes:

* Aggravated murder: Aggravated murder is charged when a person under 18 dies as a result of the unlawful use of a Schedule I or Schedule II controlled substance (including methamphetamine and fentanyl) provided by an unauthorized person.

* Murder: Expands the definition to include the death of any person over the age of 18 as a result of the unlawful use of a Schedule I or Schedule II substance (including methamphetamine and fentanyl) provided by an unauthorized person.

* Manslaughter: Addresses cases where a death is indirectly caused by the illegal transfer or sale of Schedule I or Schedule II controlled substances, including methamphetamine and fentanyl, ensuring accountability even when deaths are indirectly related to drugs.

“We cannot stand by and watch these dangerous drugs take the lives of our loved ones. This legislation will ensure that those who sell these poisons, these dirty dealers, are brought to the full force of the law,” Parkinson said… PACNEWS

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