(NewsNation) — Cartels use legal ports of entry on the southern border to smuggle illicit drugs into the US, but millions of pills seized by authorities flow across the border into US cities It’s just a small part of things.

Officials report that 51.4% of all fentanyl entering the United States passes through Arizona, with about half coming from the southeastern corner of the state.

By a narrow margin, California accounts for 46.3% of fentanyl entering the United States, while Texas and New Mexico account for just 1% of drug seizures, according to Drug Enforcement Administration data.

More than 20 million pills will be seized in Maricopa County, about three and a half hours north of the border, in 2022, according to new DEA data.

This means millions of pills have passed through multiple ports, checkpoints and other law enforcement agencies.

More than 40 million pills have been seized at the port of Nogales, Arizona alone, since Oct. 1, according to Port Commissioner Michael Humphries. That’s almost double the number of pills seized across the country last year.

But border officials say police are seizing only a fraction of the drugs.

“We’re just touching there when it comes to what’s going to happen through the Tucson neighborhood that we’re in. I promise we’re just touching,” said Cochise County. Sheriff Mark Dunnells said.

“That means it’s going through us, no question. So everyone wears a badge and talks about it. Our resources are limited, so It’s going through us,” added Dunnells.

This comes as the Tuscon area is overwhelmed with traffic, and several checkpoints that law enforcement deems critical to catching drugs remain closed due to lack of manpower. .

Border agents and local sheriffs are now seeking help after witnessing the drug’s effects.

More than 2,600 people were arrested for fentanyl trafficking in 2022, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. 116% increase From 2020.