Federal Inspectors Struggle To Catch Opioids Smuggled In Small Amounts Through Mail, Delivery Services
“The sheer logistical nature of trying to pick out which packages contain opioids makes it much more challenging,” said Robert E. Perez, an acting executive assistant commissioner at United States Customs and Border Protection, an arm of the department. In other news from the opioid epidemic: President Donald Trump overstates progress the government has made to tackle crisis; a congressional panel focuses on the impact of border security; and Reveal investigates the rehab industry.
The New York Times:
U.S. Struggles To Stop Smuggling Of Mail-Order Opioids
Federal agents are struggling to stop opioid smugglers who are reaping vast profits, according to interviews and documents, as the number of Americans dying from drug overdoses continues to rise. Officials at the Department of Homeland Security say the drugs are shipped in such minute amounts that detecting them among cargo in a tractor-trailer is close to impossible. That the drugs increasingly are bought online and shipped directly to buyers — either through the Postal Service or commercial couriers like FedEx and UPS — makes inspections all the more difficult. (Nixon, 5/30)
The Associated Press:
AP FACT CHECK: Trump Overstates Progress On Opioids
President Donald Trump is overstating progress against the opioid epidemic, claiming “the numbers are way down” despite an increase of opioid-related deaths and overdoses in his first year in office. A look at his comments during a political rally in Nashville on Tuesday night. (Woodward, 5/31)
Arizona Republic:
D.C. Focus On Ariz. Border With Opioid Hearing, Kirstjen Nielsen Visit
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is expected to make a return trip to the Arizona border this week, one day after a congressional subcommittee takes up the issue of opioids coming from Mexico in a special meeting in Phoenix. Ahead of Nielsen's visit — her second in two months — U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, R-Arizona, will preside over a House Border and Maritime Security subcommittee field hearing that will take testimony from Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and law enforcement and health officials. (Carranza, 5/30)
Reveal:
Inside A Rehab Empire
The collision of the opioid epidemic with criminal justice reform has created a boom for the rehab industry. ... But the less fortunate have become easy prey for rehabs with a tantalizing promise: freedom from addiction for free. (Harris and Walter, 5/31)
