Tillis, Budd demand answers to growing fentanyl crisis in NC | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal. The author of this post is Theresa Opeka.

    Republican North Carolina U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd are looking for answers about the level of fentanyl and other drugs coming into the country and communities across North Carolina. In a letter sent Thursday to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the senators listed key questions for Biden administration officials and want answers within a month.


    "In the past nine years, over 13,000 North Carolinians have died from fentanyl overdoses," the letter states. "The overdoses are being driven by various factors, including the open border, drug cartels using social media apps to sell drugs, and the Chinese Communist Party's failure to stop fentanyl precursors from being shipped to drug cartels."

    The pair cites an Aug. 31 Axios Raleigh report that the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) alone seized over 17 kilograms of fentanyl in 2023, enough to kill 8.5 million people, which is 85% of North Carolina's population. Also, in July, the Gaston County Police seized 10,000 fentanyl pills with a street value of $330,000, which weighed approximately 1 kilogram.

    They say broken border policies are to blame for driving drug cartels to engulf the country with drugs. Citing statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Security, during Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), over 25,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the southern border alone, and does not include the fentanyl that evaded detection and made it into communities across North Carolina and the nation.

    In addition, Tillis and Budd say North Carolina is also seeing the veterinary sedative Xylazine, better known by the street name "Tranq", impact the state. The sedative has been found to be mixed with fentanyl or common opioids, leading to overdoses and, in some cases, the repetitive use of Xylazine is causing skin ulcers. According to the UNC Street Drug Lab, Trang has been detected in over 20 North Carolina counties.


    "Our nation is being poisoned by fentanyl and other deadly narcotics that are pouring in from our open border," they said. "Families from all demographics are being impacted and losing loved ones daily. As of April 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the United States had over 106,000 overdose deaths, which included fentanyl-related deaths during a 12-month period."

    10.24.2023 LTR to DHS DEA- Fentanyl-Final

    Their questions include:

• How are DHS and DEA working with our local and state law enforcement to track and dismantle drug networks? What federal resources are needed to address the fentanyl crisis in North Carolina?
• What steps have DHS and DEA taken to counter social media recruitment by drug cartels?
• Have DHS and DEA worked with social media platforms to stop the sale of fentanyl and illicit narcotics?
• What strategic plan does DHS have in place to stop drug cartels from smuggling drugs across the southern border? What strategic plan does DEA have in place to address the drugs flowing into the U.S. interior?
• What public outreach has been done to warn Americans about new emerging drug threats like Xylazine (Tranq)?
• How are DHS and DEA recording the seizures when it pertains to Trang? Are they being tallied as fentanyl, opioid, or marked as a separate substance?
• Have DHS and DEA identified who is supplying drug cartels with the Xylazine? If so, what actions have been taken?
• What action have DHS and DEA taken to halt China's fentanyl precursor chemicals from being shipped to drug cartels like the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa Cartels?
• What are the latest efforts that DEA and DHS have taken to dismantle the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa Cartel?

    Tillis and Budd asked the agencies to respond by Nov. 24 to questions on what steps they are taking to stop the fentanyl crisis.

poll#214

Understanding that there are two firm positions concerning the Open Border Crises, but many realties regarding its current, and, or projected real impacts to the functioning, sustainability of this Constitutional Republic: What position below best represents what you know to be true regarding this impactful policy?

  The United States' must continue the Executive initiative of Open Borders until a Democratic Congress can codify full Demographic Inclusion by keeping the Biden /Harris Open Borders policy in place.

  Our United States' borders are sovereign just as are our self-governed citizens, where borders must be maintained, monitored and defended, which is the position of core Republicans.

  I am in favor of Open Borders to make my America more of a global community; however, the federal government must now fix problems that "Red State" governors have caused in our cities.

  I do NOT favor the Democratic Socialists' disruption of the cultural fabric of my Representative Republic, and there will be Treasonous Hell to Pay when the certain calamity begins in earnest.

186 total vote(s)     What's your Opinion?

poll#207

Should the Institutionalized Corruption of the Biden /Harris Administration, in this separate instance the Open Border Policy of our Sovereign Southern Border, be not only tolerated, but sanctioned by the raising of local spending by local politicians to pay for these now visible and known effects of rampant, and out-of-control Illegal Immigration?

  Yes, it is a kind thing to do, and a way that our county, our state can aid in this tremendous effort toward local federal foreign aid; and now, thankfully, in great abundance.

  No, our Constitutional Republic WILL NOT continue to exist, as our United States of America, if we do not control our sovereign borders, to protect our citizens, to keep them solvent and safe.

  I only consider what is topical and popular since my friends, too, only care to do the same.

277 total vote(s)     What's your Opinion?

poll#213

Considering the deep morass of complete incompetence at the Federal level, in the executive branch of our self-governed People, unarguably the worst in modern times; if certain changes could be made by Impeachment of those most qualified: Who would be your best choice because of abject Corruption, incompetence, or both?

  Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas

  Attorney General Merrick Garland

  President Joseph R. Biden

  Are you a MAGA Extremist, and do not know any better? These are our best of days, not our worst.

  FBI Director Christopher Wray

198 total vote(s)     What's your Opinion?

poll#175

Understanding that this fragile Republic of the self-governed is in a precarious space in our nation's vast history: What is your honor bound patriotic duty in helping to sustain the continuance of these United States of America?

  I will depend on my Democratic Socialist politicians to continue to march hard toward the Left to provide Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for all who think and do as they are told.

  I will defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and support all elected leaders who pledge to protect and insure the continued sovereignty of this Representative Republic.

  I am very concerned about maintaining my current life style without working. I was told that as long as I vote Democrat, I had nothing to worry about ... but now I worry.

296 total vote(s)     What's your Opinion?