Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., advocated for a bill to equip the Department of Homeland Security with chemical scanning devices to detect black market fentanyl before it enters the U.S., according to wynt.com.
Mr. Schumer's comments were made during an address Tuesday to the Schenectady County (N.Y.) Legislative Chambers. According to the senator, the bill has bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate and expects it will leave the Senate Judiciary Committee soon.
Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and is largely manufactured in China. The synthetic opioid is often processed and packaged in Mexico prior to being smuggled into the U.S. by drug cartels. Additionally, large quantities of the drug are purchased online via the "dark internet" where illegal materials are sold via websites and shipped through the U.S. Postal Service.
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