The chief doctor for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) attempted to obtain lollipops laced with fentanyl for a trip by helicopter, whistleblowers alleged Friday.
Dr. Alexander Eastman was accused of pressuring his staff to order the drugged lollipops so he could bring them on his helicopter ride to the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City in Sept. 2023, a whistleblower report sent to Congress stated, according to NBC News.
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In other news: There is something called a Fentanyl Lollipop.
CBP’s top doctor tried to order fentanyl lollipops for helicopter mission in N.Y., whistleblowers say https://t.co/FgMUzYs3UT via @nbcnews— Ba’al, Ishtar and Moloch in a 3-pack (@bittergal1111) February 16, 2024
Eastman argued that the drug-laced treats were needed in the case of a medical emergency, stating that the fentanyl lollipops would be administered for pain management, according to the outlet.
“Eastman spent copious hours of his and Office of the Chief Medical Officer staff time directing the OCMO staff to urgently help him procure fentanyl lollipops, a Schedule II narcotic, so that he could bring them on the CBP Air and Marine Operations helicopter on which he would be a passenger in New York City,” the whistleblower report said, according to the outlet. “Dr. Eastman claims that his possession of fentanyl lollipops was necessary in case a CBP operator might be injured, or in case the CBP Air and Marine Operations team encountered a patient in need.”
Eastman’s staff was wary of the top medical official’s reason for requesting the fentanyl lollipops, NBC News reported. (RELATED: Alleged Coke Dealer Busted For Handing Out Free Samples, Cops Say: REPORT)
Eastman allegedly wrote his own policy regarding the procurement of Schedule II narcotics, according to the outlet. The top doctor did not mention how the narcotics were to be stored and disposed of, whistleblowers said.
No fentanyl lollipops were obtained by Eastman because a vendor could not be found before the meeting, the outlet reported.
The whistleblowers, who are represented by the nonprofit watchdog Government Accountability Project, claimed Eastman was already under investigation by CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility for a separate incident in which he allegedly improperly ordered and secured of narcotics for a pilot for CBP Air and Marine Operations, according to NBC News.
From 2022 to 2023, the federal government saw an 89% spike in fentanyl seizures at the border with Mexico, federal data showed in Oct. CBP acquired 26,700 pounds of the narcotic in the 2023 fiscal year, compared to 14,100 pounds in the 2022 fiscal year, the data revealed. Among Americans from 18 to 49, fentanyl is the leading cause of death, the DOJ said in an Oct. press release.