03/28/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/28/2024 08:22
For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Contact:
Nazneen Ahmed (919) 716-0060
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein released the following statement applauding the U.S. Congress for funding U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) so CBP can install equipment it already has to detect fentanyl in vehicles entering the United States.
"Nine North Carolinians a day die from a fentanyl overdose. Nine. I am grateful to Congressional leaders for putting partisan politics aside to invest in these safety measures to stem the deadly flow of fentanyl at our border and help keep these drugs out of our communities. And I'm grateful to President Biden for signing this bill into law. This critical funding will be lifesaving."
Last week, Attorney General Stein sent a letter asking Congressional leaders to give CBP approximately $300 million in funding to install equipment CBP already has to detect fentanyl in vehicles entering the United States. Congress included the funding in the appropriations bill, which President Biden signed into law on Saturday. CBP will receive more than $400 million to be used for non-intrusive inspection and the detection and seizure of fentanyl and other narcotics. This new technology enables CBP to dramatically increase the number of cars and trucks it x-rays using massive drive-through screeners at the border.
Attorney General Stein has been working to confront the fentanyl epidemic by:
###