During a news briefing in Fort Worth Thursday to discuss ongoing security efforts at the U.S.-Mexico border, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott detailed an uptick in drug trafficking, including the potentially lethal fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid which is typically prescribed for the treatment of intense pain, frequently for patients with cancer. It’s typically prescribed in patches or lozenges and is often misused or abused in the U.S.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids were nearly 12 times higher in 2019 than in 2013. Data suggests an acceleration of overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abbott said he is about to sign a law that will create a new criminal offense for the manufacture or delivery of fentanyl. The punishment for breaking the law will begin as a third-degree felony, making it one of the toughest drug laws in Texas.

Abbott said that in some instances other drugs are laced with deadly amounts of fentanyl. He placed the blame for the increase in drug trafficking on the Biden administration, claiming that due to administration policies law enforcement resources are being diverted to migrants, opening the door to increased trafficking.

Abbott said fentanyl is making its way across the border and into Texas suburbs. He stated that last year the Texas Department of Public Safety seized 11 pounds of the drug, which is roughly equal to 2.4 million lethal doses.

So far this year, Abbott said, DPS troopers have seized 95 pounds of fentanyl, which is equal to about 21 million lethal doses. That, the governor said, represents an increase of nearly 800% over the year prior and doesn’t include the fentanyl that went undetected.

In supporting his claims, Abbott said that 52 grams of fentanyl were seized in Tarrant County in 2020 and 137 grams have so far been seized there in 2021. He also said Tarrant County this year has seen 60 suspected fentanyl overdoses.

Abbott said the Mansfield Police Department this month conducted a bust that resulted in the seizure of between 3,000 and 5,000 fentanyl pills.

2mg of Fentanyl has the power to take a life.

This year, @TxDPS has seized 95lbs of Fentanyl. That's 21.5M LETHAL doses.

Biden's deadly border policies are being felt in communities throughout TX & the country.

DPS & @TexasGuard are working to get these drugs off the streets. pic.twitter.com/gfFUDODRaF

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 27, 2021