SE Valley Times

Rep. Greg Stanton’s legislation to combat international fentanyl and synthetic opioid trafficking passed out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee this morning, earning unanimous, bipartisan support. The bill now heads to the House floor for consideration.

Stanton’s legislation, the American Cooperation with Our Neighbors Act, will bring law enforcement, local governments, and non-governmental organizations in the United States and Mexico together to combat the trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

The bill would require the Secretary of State and Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to submit a strategy to Congress to strengthen and improve: law enforcement cooperation at the subnational level, including bolstering technological assistance for agencies, professional development exchanges, and enhanced data sharing; coordination and dialogue between local governments, civil society, faith-based organizations and business community leaders; and capacity building with additional resources for border towns to meet local needs.

“Congress has provided more funding to law enforcement and to the border patrol, and modernized infrastructure at our ports of entry where most drugs are trafficked through. But it’s going to take an all-hands-on-deck approach, with every stakeholder working together towards one common goal,” Stanton told his colleagues during Committee consideration.

“I’ve seen this sort of inter-agency collaboration work firsthand,” Stanton continued, detailing the success of the Transaction Record Analysis Center data-sharing network created during Stanton’s time as Deputy Attorney General of Arizona. Law enforcement across the Southwest use the TRAC database to investigate and interdict the money laundering activities of national and international criminals—and was instrumental in a recent operation that led to the seizure of over 4.5 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills, 66 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and nearly 50 firearms.

Video of Stanton’s remarks at Committee markup are HERE.

Full text is available HERE.

Original source can be found here.