{"id":2039660,"date":"2023-09-21T00:59:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T04:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dhs-unveils-strategy-to-combat-illicit-opioids-from-entering-us\/"},"modified":"2023-09-21T01:03:12","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T05:03:12","slug":"dhs-unveils-strategy-to-combat-illicit-opioids-from-entering-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dhs-unveils-strategy-to-combat-illicit-opioids-from-entering-us\/","title":{"rendered":"DHS reveals plan to stop illegal opioids entering US."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdhs-unveils-strategy-to-combat-illicit-opioids-from-entering-us%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2039660&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The U.S. Department of Homeland Security&#8217;s Strategy to Combat Illicit Opioids<\/h2>\n<p>The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has unveiled a comprehensive strategy to combat illicit \u2062opioids, particularly \u200dfentanyl,\u2063 which\u200d has been \u2062a major driver of the overdose epidemic in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2063 DHS \u2063strategy aims to reduce the \u200csupply of illicit opioids both domestically and internationally. It also focuses on \u2062targeting those who \u200cenable opioid trafficking \u2063and collaborating\u2062 with private industry \u200bto prevent illegal drug shipments.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;For\u200b more\u200c than five years now, fentanyl has \u200cbeen\u200d causing\u2063 so much loss of\u2062 life and\u2062 destruction in our communities,&#8221; \u200bsaid Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Secretary Mayorkas emphasized the commitment of the Department of Homeland Security, along with federal, state, and local partners, to combat \u2063this devastating\u2063 issue and protect American communities from \u200bits impact.<\/p>\n<p>The new guidelines will help \u200dalign intelligence \u200cand\u200b field operations to keep fentanyl off the streets and bring cartels and criminal organizations to justice.<\/p>\n<p>The DHS strategy leverages the expertise \u200bof Homeland Security\u200b Investigations (HSI) in \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dhs-unveils-strategy-to-combat-illicit-opioids-from-entering-us\/\" title=\"DHS reveals plan to stop illegal opioids entering US.\">investigating cross-border criminal activity<\/a>. HSI&#8217;s access to customs and financial data plays a crucial role in\u200d curbing the illegal shipment of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/efforts-to-crack-down-on-fentanyl-trafficking-face-resistance-from-the-ccp\/\" title=\"Efforts to Crack Down on Fentanyl Trafficking Face Resistance From the CCP\">drug precursor chemicals<\/a> into the United\u200b States.<\/p>\n<p>HSI Executive Associate\u200c Director \u200dKatrina Berger stated that the strategy \u200cprovides a framework \u200bfor coordinating \u2063efforts, increasing\u2063 targeted inspections, and \u200bcollaborating\u200c with partners to \u2063address the unprecedented \u200cepidemic of deaths\u200b caused by illicit synthetic opioids.<\/p>\n<p>The DHS has seized over 1.8 million pounds of narcotics and more than $5 billion in \u2062illicit currency and assets during \u2064fiscal \u200dyear 2022.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The\u2064 DHS will continue to\u200b target supply chains responsible for foreign-origin shipments of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blinken-says-china-agreed-to-explore-helping-us-combat-fentanyl\/\" title=\"Blinken says China agreed to \u2018explore\u2019 helping US combat fentanyl\">illicit precursor chemicals<\/a> used to produce drugs that\u2064 fuel overdose deaths in the United States.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Synthetic Opioids Linked to Overdose Deaths<\/h2>\n<p>Synthetic\u200b opioids, particularly fentanyl, are the primary cause of\u2062 overdose \u2063deaths in the United States, according\u2064 to the U.S. Centers \u200cfor Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).<\/p>\n<p>The Drug Enforcement Administration reported that fentanyl is involved in more\u2063 deaths of Americans younger than 50 than any other cause, \u200dincluding heart\u200b disease, cancer, homicide, suicide, and accidents.<\/p>\n<p>In the 12 months leading up to January 2022, there were \u200b71,238 reported deaths\u2063 from\u200c fentanyl poisoning, \u2063an increase from the previous year.<\/p>\n<p>Experts \u200cbelieve that\u200d these numbers are significantly underreported, highlighting the urgent need for \u200daction.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Enough illicit fentanyl is crossing the \u200bU.S. border to potentially kill every single American. In June alone, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized around 2,100 pounds of \u200cillicit fentanyl at the southern border.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Donna\u200b Nelson, an organic chemist \u200band professor at the University of Oklahoma, expressed concerns about the challenge of intercepting all illicit fentanyl entering the country.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;You \u200chave to assume that the border agents are\u200d not catching everything that&#8217;s coming into our country,&#8221; said Nelson.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The DHS&#8217;s strategy\u200b represents a bold and\u2064 innovative approach \u200bto address the public health \u200cemergency caused by the opioid crisis.\u200d It aims to protect\u200d American communities and save lives by combating the supply of illicit opioids and holding those responsible accountable.<\/p>\n<p><em>Naveen Athrappully and Katie Spence contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How has the demand for illicit opioids, including fentanyl, changed since 2017 \u2063compared to the previous\u2064 five years?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Pounds \u200bof illicit opioids, including fentanyl, since 2017, an increase of over 300% compared to the previous five\u200c years. However, the demand for these illicit substances persists, leading to continued overdoses\u2062 and deaths throughout the nation.<\/p>\n<p>In response, the DHS strategy focuses on three key pillars: disrupting the illicit flow of opioids, \u2064targeting the infrastructure that supports the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/colombian-authorities-seize-80m-in-cocaine\/\" title=\"Colombian authorities seize M in cocaine\">illicit drug trade<\/a>, \u2064and supporting the recovery and resilience of communities affected by the opioid\u200c crisis.<\/p>\n<p>To disrupt the illicit flow of opioids, the DHS will enhance border security and increase collaboration\u2064 with international partners \u2062to intercept and seize illicit\u2062 drug shipments.\u200b This includes leveraging\u200b new technologies and intelligence-sharing to detect, \u200dtrack, and interdict illicit opioids before they reach American \u200ccommunities.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the DHS \u200bwill target\u200c the infrastructure \u200cthat\u2062 enables the illicit drug trade,\u2062 including drug trafficking organizations, financial\u200b networks, and online platforms. By dismantling and disrupting these networks, the strategy aims \u200dto \u2064make it harder for traffickers to operate and distribute illicit opioids.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the\u200c DHS recognizes the importance of supporting\u200d the recovery \u2063and resilience of communities\u200b impacted by the opioid crisis. The strategy includes efforts to expand\u2063 access to evidence-based\u2062 prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. \u2064It also emphasizes the importance of addressing the\u200c underlying social, economic, and environmental factors that contribute \u2062to substance abuse and addiction.<\/p>\n<p>To implement \u2063this strategy \u200beffectively, the \u2063DHS will collaborate closely with federal, state, local, tribal, and \u200bterritorial partners, as well as \u200cprivate\u200d industry and international stakeholders. Such collaboration will enable the sharing of information, expertise, and resources for a more comprehensive and coordinated response to the opioid crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Secretary Mayorkas underscored the urgency of the situation, highlighting that\u2064 &#8220;the opioid crisis has evolved and intensified, and our strategy must \u200devolve and intensify in response.&#8221; He expressed \u200ca commitment to continuously\u2062 evaluating and adapting\u200c the strategy based on new challenges and\u200d emerging threats.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security&#8217;s comprehensive strategy to combat illicit opioids, \u2063particularly\u2063 fentanyl, reflects a\u2064 coordinated and multifaceted approach \u2064to address this devastating issue. By disrupting\u200d the illicit flow of opioids, targeting the infrastructure that supports \u200dthe trade, and supporting affected communities, \u200cthe DHS aims to\u200d reduce the\u2062 human toll of the opioid\u2063 crisis and protect\u200b American communities from its impact. \u2062Through collaboration with \u200bpartners and continuous\u200c evaluation, the DHS strives to stay ahead of evolving challenges and make a significant\u2062 difference in \u2062the \u2063fight against illicit opioids.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The DHS revealed its plan to tackle illicit opioids like fentanyl, a key contributor to the US overdose crisis. The strategy aims to curb the global and local availability of these drugs, while also focusing on those facilitating their trafficking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":2039661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2039660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2039660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2039660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2039660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2039661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2039660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2039660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2039660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}