Results 1 to 1 of 1
Thread Information
Users Browsing this Thread
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
-
09-18-2017, 07:38 PM #1
Drug Agents Are Nabbing 40 Percent Of Illicit Painkiller Shipments Spreading Death
A law enforcement staff shows confiscated heroin before burning it in the headquarters of the Drug Control Agency in Dushanbe May 30, 2008. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov
Drug Agents Are Nabbing 40 Percent Of Illicit Painkiller Shipments Spreading Death Across US
STEVE BIRR Vice Reporter
3:49 PM 09/18/2017
Drug agents say they are making progress in the fight against illicit opioids coming into the U.S. through the mail, seizing significantly higher quantities of fentanyl than in 2016.
Fentanyl, a painkiller roughly 30 to 50 times stronger than the average batch of heroin, is flooding the country and blamed as the primary driver of the current opioid epidemic, which claimed a record number of lives in 2016. The substance primarily comes through standard mail from China, making it extremely difficult to detect, but officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection say they are now seizing roughly 40 percent of fentanyl bound for American streets, reports USA Today.
Officers at John F. Kennedy International Airport, where 60 percent of all U.S.-bound international mail passes through, say increased resources for package screenings are dramatically boosting their success rate.
“We’ve gotten a lot better at figuring out the threat, figuring out where it’s coming from, and identifying those packages that we need to treat as high risk,” Frank Russo, the port director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection at JFK Airport, told USA Today.
“It’s mainly coming from China and Hong Kong, destined for every part of the United States.”
A year ago, drug agents stationed at JFK Airport only had an X-ray machine to work with, resulting in the seizure of just seven fentanyl shipments. The agents now have a number of K-9 units specifically trained to detect fentanyl and a handheld laser that can detect what kind of drug is inside a package. Agents have already seized 64 shipments of fentanyl this year with the new security tools.
While officials say they are making progress against the illegal drug trade, they are still fighting an uphill battle. Much of the illicit drugs coming into the U.S. still get lost among the estimated 1 million packages that come through JFK Airport everyday.
The National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released its first preliminary report in August giving an accounting of drug overdose deaths in 2016. The CDC estimates that drug deaths rose by more than 22 percent in 2016, with 64,070 Americans suffering a fatal overdose that year. Opioid deaths rose from 33,000 in 2015 to nearly 50,000 in 2016, driven primarily by fentanyl use.
Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of accidental death for Americans under 50.
http://dailycaller.com/2017/09/18/dr...ath-across-us/
NO AMNESTY
Don't reward the criminal actions of millions of illegal aliens by giving them citizenship.
Sign in and post comments here.
Please support our fight against illegal immigration by joining ALIPAC's email alerts here https://eepurl.com/cktGTn
Similar Threads
-
83 Drug shipments from China intercepted in Cincinnati
By JohnDoe2 in forum illegal immigration News Stories & ReportsReplies: 5Last Post: 03-30-2017, 07:41 PM -
Women's painkiller overdose deaths up 400 percent over last decade
By JohnDoe2 in forum Other Topics News and IssuesReplies: 0Last Post: 07-02-2013, 09:47 PM -
Agents Make Multiple Illicit Drug Seizures throughout San Diego County
By JohnDoe2 in forum illegal immigration News Stories & ReportsReplies: 0Last Post: 01-27-2012, 08:13 PM -
Canada is 'hub' for illegal drug shipments
By FedUpinFarmersBranch in forum illegal immigration News Stories & ReportsReplies: 0Last Post: 06-24-2009, 02:01 PM -
Border Patrol in Arizona Busy Nabbing Drug Smugglers
By JohnDoe2 in forum illegal immigration News Stories & ReportsReplies: 0Last Post: 03-20-2009, 06:09 PM
Listen to William Gheen on Rense Mar 27, 2024 talking the Most...
03-28-2024, 11:39 AM in ALIPAC In The News