Biden administration extends campaign targeting fentanyl trafficking

Department of Homeland Security officials said Thursday they will expand a campaign targeting fentanyl by sending more teams of agents and investigators to interdict drug shipments and break up smuggling networks. Record amounts of the deadly opioid have been seized along the U.S. southern border this year, and President Biden is facing scathing criticism from Republican lawmakers and candidates who say the administration isn’t doing enough to stop the drugs. In March, DHS launched “Operation Blue Lotus” to target fentanyl traffickers, and authorities say the operation led to 284 arrests and the seizure of nearly 10,000 pounds of the drug during its first two months. “The intelligence and investigative work being conducted by DHS Agencies and with our federal partners to disrupt the fentanyl supply chain is unprecedented,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. Biden officials have used the record-breaking seizures as a gauge of success, but security experts caution that the large volumes typically reflect an abundance of drug supplies. Illegal fentanyl remains extremely cheap on U.S. streets: Doses of the drug in cities across the southwestern United States typically sell for as little as $2 or $3. DHS officials said the new phase of their campaign will consist of two efforts, Operation Artemis and Operation Rolling Wave, that seek to cut off fentanyl shipments and catch more traffickers. U.S. Customs and Border Protection teams will lead Operation Artemis to “target the fentanyl supply chain” by stopping precursor chemicals and other materials used in the illicit manufacture of the drug by criminal organizations in Mexico. Operation Rolling Wave will ramp up inspections at U.S. checkpoints along the southern border, CBP officials said, using “predictive analysis and intelligence sharing.” The agency relies on informants, technology and other intelligence sources to determine which trucks and vehicles are more likely to be transporting illegal narcotics. The Biden administration has been adding powerful scanning equipment at U.S. border checkpoints, or ports of entry, part of a congressional mandate to dramatically increase the percentage of trucks and vehicles screened for illegal drugs and other contraband. About 90 percent of the fentanyl seized along the southern border is detected at ports of entry, where it is primarily hidden in vehicles, according to DHS. Troy Miller, the acting CBP commissioner, said in a statement that the latest border operations “will build on the successful pairing of law enforcement partnerships and technological advancements to keep these devastating drugs out of our communities.” Homeland Security Investigations, the department’s lead investigative agency, will team up with CBP to help target international criminal networks and drug dealers on the dark web, according to the DHS statement. Preliminary data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show more than 110,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2022. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids were the cause of roughly two-thirds of the fatalities, about the same as in 2021, a possible sign the nation’s deadliest-ever drug epidemic may be leveling off. For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.