The amount of fentanyl seized in the United States in May from attempts to smuggle the drug across the U.S.-Mexico border has more than tripled since last year, according to the latest statistics from Customs and Border Protection (CBP). CBP data show that that last month, 951 pounds of fentanyl were seized by officers—up from 240 pounds of the drug in May last year. The amount of the drug apprehended by officers has been steadily rising this year, with 945 pounds seized in January, 799 pounds in February, 660 pounds in March, and 886 pounds of fentanyl apprehended in April. Fentanyl is the synthetic opioid attributed to the escalating overdose death rate in the United States. It is most often manufactured in Mexico using chemicals supplied from China. It’s mixed with other narcotics to increase potency as well as pressed into counterfeit pain pills commonly known as “Mexican oxys.” In …