Working to STOP Fentanyl via Mail

(Fall 2018) Due to the approximately 1.3 million packages received by the U.S. Postal Service from outside the country each day, only a small percent of them can feasibly be screened. Drug traffickers are capitalizing on this by sending their products, including potentially deadly fentanyl, into the country through the mail.

In the period between October 2017 and March 2018, more than 900 pounds of narcotics were confiscated. This is almost equal to the entire amount seized the previous year, and it’s thought to be only a tiny portion of what is assumed to be pouring into the nation’s borders.

As a countermeasure, Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) is sponsoring the STOP Act, which would mandate that individuals who mail packages internationally supply information, including the parcel’s contents, at the drop-off location. The data would be logged into a system accessible by U.S. authorities and could assist customs and border patrol agents in monitoring packages coming into the country.

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