The Meth Kingpin Elimination Act

Statement

The Meth Kingpin Elimination Act

It sounds like something out of the latest big budget summer action movie: An exotic drug kingpin nabbed at a restaurant by federal agents.

Instead of being a plot for the next summer blockbuster however, this scene played out in a restaurant in a quiet area just north of Washington D.C.

In late July, federal officials arrested alleged methamphetamine trafficker Zhenli Ye Gon in Wheaton, Maryland. Prior to this high profile arrest, Mexican police raided the accused's Mexico City mansion in March, where they found more than $207 million, most of which was stashed behind false walls and in closets. Zhenli Ye Gon is accused of supplying Mexican drug cartels with massive quantities of restricted chemicals to make methamphetamine.

Though the number of meth labs in the U.S. has declined since Congress enacted the Combat Meth Epidemic Act last year restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine (a key ingredient in the manufacture of the drug), it is estimated as much as 80 percent of the meth in the U.S. comes from Mexico.

Unlike the small U.S. labs, Mexican drug cartels are creating "super labs," which produce huge quantities of meth to be smuggled north to the United States.

It is past time to stop the flood of meth coming across our border, and to crack down on the thugs making millions peddling this dangerous drug. Meth devastates not only those who abuse the drug, but their families and their communities as well. From rural districts like mine to urban areas, we must do all we can to end the scourge of meth in this country.

On July 25th, I introduced the Methamphetamine Kingpin Elimination Act of 2007 (H.R. 3143). This bill would increase penalties for drug kingpin offenses and authorizes an additional $20 million for multi-jurisdictional methamphetamine task forces. The new funding would go toward promoting community-based methamphetamine task forces, which generally bring together law enforcement officials from all levels of government, as well as local leaders and everyday citizens.

These funds would be dispersed to local task forces through federal grants.

The Tri-City Task Force in Central Nebraska and the Western Nebraska Intelligence and Narcotics Group are two task forces in Nebraska which would have access to the funds to combat the sale of meth in our communities.

This bill isn't the silver bullet that will end the hold meth has over our communities. But it is part of a concerted effort by all levels of government to fight the battle with this horrible drug.

I'm proud to be a member of the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine. As we have cracked down on the small operators, we've seen a surge of meth as smugglers sneak these drugs into our country and then distribute them in our communities. We need to redefine what it means to be a meth kingpin, and make sure our law enforcement officials have the tools they need to put drug pushers away for a long time.

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