Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement after passing the bipartisan Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act through the Senate Banking, Urban Affairs, and Housing Committee. Cortez Masto cosponsored this legislation with U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) to tackle the country’s fentanyl epidemic by cracking down on transnational drug trafficking schemes and restricting the fentanyl supply chain. It will now advance to the full Senate for consideration.
“Cracking down on illicit supply chains fueling the fentanyl crisis is critical so we can keep these deadly drugs out of our communities, and I’m pleased to see this legislation is on its way to becoming law,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This is an important step forward in our fight against fentanyl, but there’s more to be done. I will continue working across the aisle to crack down on drug trafficking and keep Nevadans safe.”
Specifically, the FEND Off Fentanyl Act will strengthen current law and help stop the flow of deadly fentanyl into Nevada communities by:
- Directing the Treasury Department to target, sanction, and block the financial assets of transnational criminal organizations and those that launder money to facilitate illicit opioid trafficking;
- Deterring traffickers and manufacturers ability to fund their criminal enterprises;
- Enhancing current law so U.S. government agencies can more effectively disrupt illicit opioid supply chains and penalize those facilitating the trafficking of fentanyl; and
- Ensuring that sanctions are imposed not only on the illicit drug trade, but also on the money laundering that makes it profitable.
Senator Cortez Masto has been working to crack down on illicit drugs since she served as Nevada’s Attorney General, when she worked with law enforcement and Mexican officials to combat the rise of methamphetamine manufacturing and cross-border drug trafficking. In the Senate, she has introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to combat the illicit use of xylazine and has authored legislation to combat drug trafficking online that was signed into law, as well as critical legislation to address the opioid epidemic.
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