U.S. Senator Katie Britt Highlights Border Crackdown Under Trump Administration, Discusses Cartels’ Role in Fentanyl Trafficking
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) participated in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “The Thin Blue Line Protecting America from the Cartels,” featuring testimony from several witnesses, including Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent Matthew Allen, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Jason Stevens, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigative Division Jose Perez.
Senator Britt began her line of questioning noting the increase in drugs that have been seized at ports of entry during the Trump Administration: “The seizures of drugs have gone up, particularly at ports of entry, since we’ve seen a more secure border. Is that correct in what you’ve seen, that we’ve had an opportunity to seize more drugs at those points of entry?”
HSI Special Agent Stevens responded, saying that, in the area in which he works, “We’re seeing increased cases as it relates to cocaine, and we’re seeing increased seizures in cocaine.”
Senator Britt continued, noting that “We know that fentanyl deaths, fentanyl overdoses, fentanyl poisoning is the leading cause of death between the ages of 18 and 45 in our country … This administration is taking it [seriously], making sure we are using every tool in our toolbox to keep Americans safe …
“How many drug cartels, gang members, the number so to speak … do we have in the interior of the United States by your estimate?” she asked.
FBI Assistant Director Perez gave a sobering response: “Well into the thousands, ma’am.”
Senator Britt then inquired about how the Cartels use gangs in the United States to move these drugs. DEA Special Agent Allen responded, saying, “[T]he cartels, specifically the Mexican drug cartels, often use the street gangs in the United States as kind of their foot soldiers to carry out some of their dirty work, to carry out retail distribution, things of that nature.”
“When you’re looking at the supply chain of how this works, obviously we’ve talked a lot about China and China’s role in these fentanyl precursors and coming here. Is there anything we need to be doing to be disruptive to that supply chain from your perspective?” asked Senator Britt.
HSI Special Agent Stevens discussed Operation Chain Breaker which aims to target the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl. He noted that due to current inspection protocols for de minimis shipments, any package under $800 is not subject to search or customs inspection, allowing pill presses, dyes, and molds to more easily be imported into the United States.
DEA Special Agent Allen also noted his concern about the emerging threat of combining drugs, which he stated had the potential to cancel out Narcan, a medication taken to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Senator Britt concluded her line of questioning asking, “What should we be doing to better target the financial networks that aide and abed the Cartels, including their operations and presence here in the United States?”
FBI Assistant Director Perez stated the need for continued accountability from financial institutions and additional support to law enforcement.
To view the full line of questioning, click here.
###
