New law gives CBP more resources to curb fentanyl trafficking

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers will soon have access to new resources to detect fentanyl and other synthetic opioids that are being trafficked into the United States under a bill that was signed into law last week.

Under the International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response by Detecting Incoming Contraband with Technology (INTERDICT) Act, CBP will receive additional chemical screening devices at ports of entry and mail and consignment facilities. The bill also provides additional personnel, including scientists to discern test results from the field during all hours of operation.

U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA), the author of the bill, said the measure would provide “badly needed resources” to those on the front lines of the battle against the “scourge of fentanyl.”

“Fentanyl presents a grave threat to all Americans. I am proud to have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to give U.S. Customs and Border Protection the latest technological tools available to interdict this deadly drug,” Markey said.

The INTERDICT Act authorizes $9 million for additional screening devices, lab equipment, facilities and personnel to help detect fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and chemical precursors.

More than 42,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose in 2016, and half of those deaths were attributable to synthetic opioids like fentanyl, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.