The amount of fentanyl seized at the U.S.–Mexico border in May from attempts to smuggle the drug into the United States 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 in May last year. The amount of the drug snared by officers has been 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 a synthetic opioid that’s blamed for an escalating overdose death rate in the United States. It’s most often manufactured in Mexico using chemicals supplied from China, and mixed with other narcotics to increase potency, as well as pressed into counterfeit pain pills commonly known as “Mexican oxys.” In the past, fentanyl had mainly been …