President Signs Ayotte-Backed Bill to Fight Transnational Drug Trafficking

Press Release

This week, President Obama signed into law a bill cosponsored by U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte to strengthen penalties for extraterritorial drug trafficking activity when there is reasonable cause to believe the drugs - including heroin and fentanyl - will be smuggled into the United States. The Transnational Drug Trafficking Act (S. 32) - a bipartisan bill introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)- passed the Senate unanimously in October of last year and passed the House of Representatives last week.

"New Hampshire is being flooded with heroin and fentanyl that is trafficked into the country and it is taking too many lives. In fact, in 2015 fentanyl contributed to more drug overdose deaths than heroin in New Hampshire," said Senator Ayotte. "I have heard from public safety officials - both in New Hampshire and at the federal level - that we need to focus more on interdicting drugs before they get to our country. I'm pleased this bill was signed into law and it is a step in the right direction towards stemming the flow of illicit deadly drugs into communities in New Hampshire."

Using her position on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Armed Services Committees, Ayotte has questioned officials from the Department of Homeland Security, intelligence agencies and the Department of Defense on the issue of boosting drug interdiction. Ayotte also worked to include in the Armed Services Committee-approved annual defense bill an amendment she filed to ensure at least $191.5 million will be dedicated to help counter the production and trafficking of illegal drugs - including heroin and fentanyl.

In addition, Ayotte last year introduced the Stop Trafficking in Fentanyl Act (S. 2027) to reform trafficking penalties for fentanyl, ensuring that the law appropriately reflects the potency of this drug. Fentanyl is estimated to be 50 times more powerful than heroin.

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