Las Vegas, Nev. – Today , U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez (D-Nev.) joined Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMD) Deputy Chief Nick Farese to deliver a community update on their targeted efforts to fight the spread of illicit drugs in Southern Nevada, including her work to crack down on fentanyl trafficking and the illicit use of xylazine.
Cortez Masto has been working to combat the rise of illicit drugs since she was 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. At today’s press conference, Cortez Masto and LVMPD called for passage of the Senator’s bipartisan legislation to combat the illicit use of xylazine and her bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act to stop transnational drug trafficking, which recently passed the Senate and is one step closer to becoming law.
“I’ve been working with Metro and agencies across Nevada to get our law enforcement the resources they need to crack down on the flow of deadly drugs into our neighborhoods,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I will keep fighting to raise awareness in Nevada about the dangers of these illicit drugs and pass bipartisan legislation to support our local law enforcement, get fentanyl and xylazine out of our communities, and protect our families.”
“As of August of this year, the Clark County coroner’s office reported 450 overdose deaths within our county, and 50% of those involved the illicit drug fentanyl,” said Nick Farese, Deputy Chief of the Investigative Services Division for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. “On behalf of Sheriff McMahill, and all of us at the LVMPD, we would like to thank Senator Cortez Masto for all of her legislative efforts and supporting us in the ongoing fight against illicit narcotics.”
Senator Cortez Masto has spent her career working keep Nevada communities safe. She’s led efforts in the Senate to provide law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the resources they need to keep communities safe. She’s also 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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