AG Brown Visits Southern Border to Gain Insights on Protecting Utahns 

May 23, 2025

On Wednesday, Attorney General Derek Brown visited the southern border alongside other attorneys general and local leaders to gain insights on safeguarding Utah and the nation.   

Drugs like fentanyl and opioids are continuing to claim the lives of Utah residents. Reports from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services indicate that 2023 saw more drug overdose deaths among Utahns than ever before. Fentanyl has emerged as the leading drug in these fatalities.   

Usually, the fentanyl pills discovered in Utah are produced in Mexico and smuggled across the border. Our office diligently investigates and prosecutes drug-related offenses across the state.   

The harmful impact of the previous administration’s negligent border policies has substantially affected states like Utah, even though we are not directly adjacent to the border. While we had observed a decrease in prescription opioid overdose fatalities, fentanyl-related deaths have surged beyond this reduction.   

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice reported the largest fentanyl seizure in Drug Enforcement Administration history. Approximately $780,000 was confiscated not from a border area, but from Layton, Utah, tied to a drug trafficking organization.   

Our law enforcement frequently conducts drug raids that yield tens of thousands of seized pills at once. Although fentanyl poses the most considerable drug threat, the rise in cocaine production just south of our border is equally concerning.   

AG Brown takes drug crimes seriously, and our office is actively collaborating with state and federal agencies to dismantle drug trafficking networks and mitigate the flow of narcotics into and through our state. We are dedicated to ensuring a safer environment for all residents and decreasing the prevalence of drugs in our communities.