Senators call for federal crackdown on illicit international shipments into U.S.

Secretary of State John Kerry recently received a letter from a group of U.S. senators who alleged that dangerous synthetic drugs and counterfeit goods have been entering the U.S. because of lax international mail security standards.

The letter was signed by Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WS), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Mike Lee (R-UT), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), James Lankford (R-OK), David Perdue (R-GA) and Joni Ernst (R-IA).

“There are foreign entities that are threatening the jobs, safety and well-being of Americans by taking advantage of U.S. customs laws,” the senators said in their letter. “Deadly synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, are being imported to the U.S. with relative ease through international mail. This problem goes beyond the critical need to prevent dangerous illicit drugs from entering our nation. Data from the Department of Homeland Security shows that over the last decade, seizures of counterfeit products have nearly doubled. The State Department should focus its efforts on the countries that are the largest producers and exporters of illicit goods.”

The senators called for a concerted federal effort to combat the illicit shipments.

“We ask that you create a plan to work directly with those countries that Customs and Border Protection deems to be the most significant risk so that U.S. agencies are better able to review electronic and advance customs data for non-letter-class mail and packages coming into the U.S. from these countries,” the senators' letter said.