SPOKANE, Wash. — Law enforcement in Spokane is speaking up in support of a new anti-fentanyl smuggling bill.
The bill, introduced by Senator Maria Cantwell and her colleagues, addresses the growing threat fentanyl poses on our communities by cracking down on drug trafficking.
Spokane County Sheriff, John Nowels supports the bill because he believes it would give the necessary tools to put a halt on the high amount of drugs smuggled into the United States.
“Fentanyl is affecting this community where it doesn’t matter what socioeconomic class you’re coming from, it doesn’t matter what race, gender, religion, you are, it’s just dangerous, and it’s killing people at an alarming rate,” said Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels.
The bill would provide new non-intrusive technologies, more resources to law enforcement agencies and advanced detection equipment.
According to the U.S. government, drug traffickers are exploiting the U.S. transportation network to smuggle fentanyl. Bill 5285 plans to address this by providing transportation systems with new resources and inspection strategies.
“I think anybody in the United States, and certainly people in Spokane County, understand what a negative effect fentanyl has become in our region,” said Nowels. “What I hope happens is it slows down the amount of illicit drugs that are coming into Spokane County.”
In the fiscal year of 2024, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 19,600 pounds of fentanyl. That is the weight of about five cars.
“If you think about that, that’s a tremendous amount just in that one border location. And think about how much is still getting through,” said Sheriff Nowels. “I think this legislation and the money that is going to be attached to it well worth the investment.”
The Spokane Police Department also spoke in support of this bill. Police Chief Kevin Hall said in a statement: “Fentanyl and other illicit drugs pose a significant risk to the health and well-being of Spokane citizens. The overwhelming majority of these substances make their way to our county from neighboring foreign countries such as Mexico. Investment in technology aimed at disrupting the flow of Fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the United States is much needed and will go a long way towards securing safer communities and saving lives threatened by the opioid crisis.”
Cantwell’s office released a statement to 4 News Now, saying “This bill would make ONDCP and DHS responsible for launching a broad effort across all transportation modes to stop fentanyl smuggling through the U.S. transportation system, and direct resources like drug-sniffing dogs and advanced detection technology to state, local, and tribal law enforcement in trafficking hotspots. Our state would be a strong candidate for these resources. The bill will also accelerate the development of next-generation non-intrusive technologies like vapor – emerging tech that is already being developed at Richland’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Washington – to inspect commercial aircraft, trucks, trains, and ships coming into our country. These non-intrusive inspections could be used at all land, sea, and airports of entry – including Spokane International Airport and our Canada border crossings.”
The next step is for the bill to go through the Senate.
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