Senator Schumer demands release of northern counternarcotics strategy

Senator Charles Schumer (D- New York) is demanding that the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) release its Northern Border Counternarcotics strategy immediately.

The strategy was due on 5 July as stipulated by a law passed in January. The law came in response to a to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which found that only thirty-two miles along the nearly 4,000 mile U.S.-Canada border had “an acceptable level of security.”

The report also found that U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency tasked with preventing the illegal entry of goods and people, lacked “the ability to detect illegal activity across most of the northern border” and did not possess “situational awareness.”

In a letter sent to R. Gil Kerlikowske, the director of ONDCP, on Tuesday, Senator Schumer asked that the agency release its strategy to combat the illegal drug trade along the northern border within seven days of receiving his letter. If the agency was unable to release the strategy, Senator Schumer asked that they provide a written explanation that outlined the cause of the delay and when it would release the plan.

“When it comes to shutting down drug smugglers, people living near the northern border don’t want to hear ‘the dog ate our homework’ – this report needs to be presented now. Law enforcement in communities along the northern border must be assured that an efficient strategy and appropriate resources are on the way to stop the flow of drugs across the northern border,” Schumer said. “I urge the Office of National Drug Control Policy to promptly release the Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy, due on July 5th, because each day of delay means dangerous gaps in security and communities left exposed to illegal drug trafficking coming across the northern border.”