Are Egg Seizures Outpacing Fentanyl at the Border?

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reportedly conducted a greater number of egg seizures than fentanyl seizures in recent months, with instances of egg smuggling at the US-Mexico Border increasing 36% this fiscal year. 

The Details: Overdose deaths in the US have declined by about 25% from October 2023-24 compared to the previous year, according to provisional data, possibly indicating less illegal drugs making their way past border security; however the claim throughout the media that more eggs were seized than fentanyl is a misleading statistic and unsound claim that can lead to misinformation. The number of seizures themselves is higher for eggs, but factors such as quantification and method of smuggling are critical pieces of data that largely debunk the claim. For instance, CBP measures egg products by number and fentanyl by weight. 

For Context: Egg prices are high in the US, despite a recent drop in wholesale costs. The importation of eggs from other countries is prohibited in the US due to disease concerns. The “bird flu” (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza [HPAI]) has already killed millions of domestic birds in the US and contributed to the rising egg and poultry prices. Most of the egg seizures are reportedly from travelers declaring the products rather than secretive smuggling operations.

How The Media Covered It: New York Post (Lean Right bias) and USA Today (Lean Left) lead with the misleading statistics in sensationalist styles. They did not note the recent drop in wholesale egg prices and focused on consumer costs. Snopes (Lean Left) noted that comparisons of the physical amount of eggs and fentanyl seized are not directly possible due to CBP’s differing methods of measurement.

Revised by the AllSides staff (of humans) after a first draft from our custom AI. Learn more. Support our mission.