Rep. Kirkpatrick Expands Anti-Drug Trafficking Program to Include District One Law Enforcement

Press Release

Rep. Kirkpatrick Expands Anti-Drug Trafficking Program to Include District One Law Enforcement

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick today introduced a bill that would give local, state, and tribal law enforcement new access to resources and information, helping them to shut down drug trafficking routes throughout the First Congressional District. The Southwest Border Narcotics Reduction Act will add seven Arizona counties, all in the district, to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program run by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

In recent years, Mexican drug cartels have established numerous cross-border smuggling routes for methamphetamines, cocaine and heroin in Arizona, posing a tremendous challenge to local law enforcement. Eight of the state's 15 counties are already a part of the program, and Rep. Kirkpatrick's bill would make Arizona the first HIDTA state by bringing Apache, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Navajo and Yavapai Counties into the program.

"Our sheriff's departments and local police are doing the best they possibly can to shut down the drug trade, but they could do more with additional resources," said Rep. Kirkpatrick. "The drug cartels are taking advantage of the gap in our law enforcement's plan of attack."

"Law enforcement will also have access to and the ability to share critical information between local, state, federal and tribal law enforcement," continued Rep. Kirkpatrick.

Under Rep. Kirkpatrick's bill, law enforcement personnel will gain a voice on the HIDTA regional councils, more federal funding, and the opportunity to cooperate and share data with the many organizations dedicated to tracking down the smugglers.

The Congresswoman has been working with the ONDCP's Acting Director Edward H. Jurith, commonly known as the "Drug Czar," to find new ways to support local law enforcement in cracking down on drug smuggling over the Arizona-Mexico frontier. With major trafficking routes moving along Interstate 40 and Interstate 17, the First District is a crucial front in the War on Drugs, and as a former prosecutor Rep. Kirkpatrick has made fighting back a top priority.

"As a county attorney, I saw firsthand how drug smugglers pushed into this district and how they spread violence and turmoil wherever they went. I am determined to help law enforcement stop them," said Rep. Kirkpatrick. "The deputies and police officers who are hunting down traffickers every day deserve all the support that we can provide."

The HIDTA program has been extremely successful in the Arizona counties already enrolled. Meth seizures in the counties in the program fell by almost 40 percent over two years, and cocaine seizures dropped by almost a third. The number of meth labs shut down in the Arizona HIDTA region plunged from 203 in 2002 to four midway through 2008.

Source