COLD SPRING – US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was in Cold Spring on Friday afternoon to announce the Senate’s passage of legislation targeting foreign powers that are the primary source of fentanyl. The senator was joined by Congressman Mike Lawler (R, NY-17) and several state and county leaders. Gillibrand noted that fentanyl is a synthetic opioid said to be 50 times stronger than heroin and is responsible for thousands of overdose fatalities in the United States each year.
The “FEND Off Fentanyl Act,” which Gillibrand signed on as a co-sponsor, is a sanctions and anti-money laundering bill that would combat the fentanyl crisis by targeting the illicit fentanyl supply chain, from the chemical suppliers in China to the cartels that traffic the drugs in from Mexico.
“No community, including Cold Spring, has been left untouched by the deadly impacts of silent killers like fentanyl. Just last year, the DEA seized enough deadly doses of fentanyl in New York for more than three times the state’s population,” said Senator Gillibrand.“The bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act would target both cartels and individuals involved in producing and trafficking these dangerous drugs. It will better empower the government to sanction drug traffickers and combat money laundering schemes that make this trade profitable. We have lost far too many lives to fentanyl overdoses and I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress to keep our communities safe.”
The majority of illegal fentanyl entering the United States is made with Chinese precursor chemicals and manufactured in Mexico. This bill will empower the U.S. government to go after the cartels bringing these dangerous drugs into the United States and those producing and shipping the precursor materials. It also enhances sanctions enforcement and gives the Treasury Department tools to combat fentanyl-related money laundering.
Specifically, to disrupt the flow of illicit opioids into the United…
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