California law enforcement has seen significant increases in meth and fentanyl seizures in the past three years; more than 2,000 kilograms of meth was confiscated in 2020 alone

February 24, 2022 - WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, Representative Josh Harder sent a letter to National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta urging his office to increase financial support for local police and sheriffs’ departments in the fight against methamphetamine and fentanyl. Harder’s letter urges the office to take the following two actions:

• Increase the funding available to the Central Valley California (CVC) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program;
• Designate methamphetamine as an emerging national threat and create a national plan to fight methamphetamine trafficking and related deaths.

According to a new report from the Central Valley California (CVC) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, fentanyl is driving the increase in overdose deaths in California and is involved in thirty-seven percent of all drug-related overdose deaths in the state with synthetic opioid-related overdose fatalities more broadly increasing by 541 percent since 2017. In 2021, the San Joaquin County fatal overdose death rate was twenty times higher than the 2018 rate and the Stanislaus County fatal overdose death rate was eight times higher than the 2018 rate. Over the last three years, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area enforcement initiatives have seized an increasing amount of methamphetamine in all forms—from 1,182 kilograms in 2018 to 2,061 kilograms in 2020.

“Drugs like fentanyl and meth are poisoning our communities and we need to get our law enforcement officers the tools they need to fight back,” said Rep. Harder. “We know that the Central Valley is a critical corridor for drug trafficking, so let’s stop these criminals in their tracks before their drugs can make their way into our communities.”

Read the letter below and online here:

Dear Director Gupta,

Thank you for your leadership overseeing the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and for the agency’s previous partnership with my office to bolster our Central Valley California (CVC) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). I write today to advocate for two measures that I believe will assist our region in the fight against illicit drugs. First, I urge ONDCP to provide additional funding for the CVC HIDTA to address the growing threat of fentanyl and second, I urge the agency to designate methamphetamine as an emerging national threat and to create a national plan to fight methamphetamine trafficking and related deaths.

According to the 2021 CVC HIDTA Threat Assessment, fentanyl is close to surpassing methamphetamine as the most dangerous drug threat. Fentanyl is driving the increase in overdose deaths in California and is involved in thirty-seven percent of all drug-related overdose deaths in the state with synthetic opioid-related overdose fatalities more broadly increasing by 541 percent since 2017. Additionally, per the National Security Section, over the last three years California law enforcement officers seized 225 percent more fentanyl in 2020 than in 2018. To combat this growing concern with fentanyl in the Central Valley, law enforcement and the CVC HIDTA needs additional funding and equipment to grow their efforts. That is why an increase in the funding available to the CVC HIDTA would be consistent with our demonstrated needs and would bring the region closer to addressing the growing levels of fentanyl in the Central Valley.

Beyond fentanyl, the Central Valley is continuing to face the threat of methamphetamine access and overdoses. Methamphetamine remains the CVC HIDTA’s primary drug threat according to the 2021 CVC HIDTA Threat Assessment. Over the last three years, CVC HIDTA enforcement initiatives have seized an increasing amount of methamphetamine in the Central Valley—from 1,182 kilograms in 2018 to 2,061 kilograms in 2020. With the serious repercussions this drug poses to American communities, it is important that ONDCP responds accordingly by designating methamphetamine as an emerging drug threat and implementing a response plan. This effort has Congressional support and would be a helpful step in mitigating and responding to the incredibly high methamphetamine-related overdose deaths the country has experienced.

Given the immense work and coordination needed for the CVC HIDTA to address both the high levels of fentanyl and methamphetamine, it is critical that the region receives significant funding to bring it on equal footing with other HIDTA regions and that methamphetamines are properly recognized as an emerging national threat and addressed as such. I look forward to your timely attention to these critical matters.
Source: Congressman Josh Harder  Photo credit: DEA file photo