Brown Pushes to Ensure CBP has Resources Needed to Protect Americans from Fentanyl

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is pushing for more effective research on fentanyl traffickers and their tactics, requesting information from the INTERDICT Science Center of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on what is needed to allow the center to better detect fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. The INTERDICT Science Center is a centralized facility that provides scientific support to CBP headquarters and other CBP components for their controlled substance identification requirements.

Brown's INTERDICT Act was signed into law in 2018 and provides U.S. Customs and Border Protection with high-tech screening equipment and lab resources to detect fentanyl before it enters the U.S. In 2018, CBP reconfigured the Department of Homeland Security's Springfield, Virginia laboratory as the INTERDICT Science Center, following the increased funding that Brown secured through the INTERDICT Act.

"Research into how to better identify and interdict substances containing [fentanyl] is...crucial to the safety and protection of all those who come into contact with it - from the law enforcement officers who inspect and seize contraband at our borders, to the public health officials responding to the rise of illicit substances in their communities. Research that the INTERDICT Science Center performs identifying fentanyl and its analogues could also help lead to new opioid antagonists to treat opioid overdoses," wrote the senators.

In the letter, Brown asks the INTERDICT Science Center to respond to the following questions:

• What are the current priorities and strategic objectives of the INTERDICT Science Center in advancing detection technologies for synthetic opioids and other emerging substances?
• What specific challenges does the INTERDICT Science Center face in staying ahead of evolving tactics used by drug traffickers, and how can Congress assist in overcoming these challenges?
• What specific funding needs does the INTERDICT Science Center have that, if met, would significantly enhance its research capabilities and operational effectiveness? Are there specific technology or infrastructure investments that would most benefit the INTERDICT Science Center?
• Beyond funding, how can Congress better facilitate your mission and address current operational challenges?
• How can Congress encourage and support more effective collaboration between the INTERDICT Science Center and other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as international partners?
• How can Congress help raise awareness of the INTERDICT Science Center's work and its importance to combatting fentanyl trafficking?

Brown sent the letter with U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). A copy can be found HERE.

Senator Brown's Work to Combat Fentanyl:

Brown has a long history of leadership in fighting to stop the flow of fentanyl into Ohio's communities. Earlier this year, Brown passed into law his FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which imposes new sanctions and anti-money laundering penalties targeting the illicit fentanyl supply chain. Building off the INTERDICT Act, Brown also is pushing to pass his bipartisan Providing Officers with Electronic Resources (POWER) Act. The POWER Act would establish a new grant program through the U.S. Department of Justice to help state and local law enforcement organizations secure high-tech, portable drug screening devices.

Brown introduced the bipartisan Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act which would allow state and local governments to purchase containment devices to safely store dangerous drugs and preserve them for evidentiary use, and provide first responders training to reduce their risk of secondary exposure to lethal substances. This work builds on his bipartisan PREVENT Act, which provides drug evidentiary containment devices for Border Patrol Officers and became law in 2022. He has also introduced the Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act, which would increase staffing and technology to detect illicit drugs and other contraband being smuggled through ports of entry or at illegal crossings along the border.

Brown also secured $75.5 million for non-intrusive inspection (NII) technology to ensure that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has the necessary resources to detect, interdict, and prevent the trafficking of fentanyl and other opioids into the United States.

###

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.