As fentanyl plagues Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott directs state police to focus on cartels

Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday directed the Department of Public Safety to redouble its efforts combating Mexican drug cartels, which he blamed for transporting millions of doses of the opioid fentanyl into Texas.

“Fentanyl is a clandestine killer, and Texans are falling victim to the Mexican cartels that are producing it,” Abbott said at a roundtable in Midland with DPS Director Steve McCraw and local law enforcement and political officials.

In a new executive order, Abbott directed the state police to, among other priorities, boost efforts to collect intelligence on cartels, investigate gangs in Texas that support drug and human smuggling, and seize goods the cartels are smuggling back to Mexico, including cash.