Nevada law enforcement drug programs to get more federal support
Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, D-NV, left, and Jacky Rosen D-NV, right, talk during the launch of the 100-megawatt MGM Resorts Mega Solar Array Monday, June 28, 2021. The solar array facility will produce up to 90 percent of MGM Resorts Las Vegas daytime power.
Thursday, May 30, 2024 | 5:28 p.m.
Nevada law enforcement will get a more than $3.4 million boost in federal funding to “crack down on illicit drug trafficking and help address the overdose epidemic,” Nevada Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto announced today.
“Too many Nevadans have lost their lives to fatal overdoses,” said Cortez Masto in a press release sent by Rosen’s team. “This federal funding will support our local (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) team as they work to crack down on drug trafficking and keep our families safe. I’ll continue working to ensure our law enforcement is receiving the tools and resources they need to combat this epidemic.”
The funding is drawn from the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, which supports the efforts of federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies in seizing illegal drugs. It also helps agencies with reducing violent crime related to drug trafficking, enhancing data sharing and dismantling money laundering organizations, according to officials from Rosen’s team.
Last year, Rosen and Cortez Masto were part of a bipartisan Senate group that requested the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program “be funded at the highest possible level” in 2024, according to a letter from March 2023.
In the 2023 letter, the Senators said the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program “has proven to be a fundamental component of the nation’s efforts to combat drug trafficking” and is “imperative” as the nation grapples with an increase of drug overdose deaths.
Cortez Masto and Rosen helped pass the FEND Off Fentanyl Act — signed into law last month — to help combat fentanyl trafficking, and Rosen’s separate END FENTANYL Act was signed into law earlier this year to crack down on drug smuggling by requiring updates to the Customs and Border Protection’s drug interdiction guidance.
Cortez Masto has also been leading the bipartisan Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, which would combat and schedule xylazine — an “highly dangerous” animal sedative not approved for human use that is often mixed with other substances like fentanyl. The Senators’ announcement comes days after the Southern Nevada Health District announced that xylazine had been found in the local drug supply.
“Drug trafficking and the flow of illicit fentanyl into the United States are fueling an overdose crisis across Nevada,” said Rosen in a press release. “That’s why I’m working across the aisle to secure our border, stop the flow of fentanyl, and support law enforcement to keep our communities safe. I’m glad to announce more than $3.4 million in federal funding that will help law enforcement in Nevada improve their operations and fight drug trafficking in our state.”
CORRECTION: Needs clarification: The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program investigated more than 9,135 drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and disrupted or dismantled 3,105 of them, a 2022 Program Summary of Effectiveness reported. They also removed $22.3 billion worth of illicit drugs from the streets and seized $493.7 million in cash, the same report showed. | (May 30, 2024)