BISMARCK, N.D. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today announced bipartisan legislation she pushed for to combat transnational drug trafficking – a growing problem in North Dakota – unanimously passed in the U.S. Senate. 

Currently, the U.S. Department of Justice has difficulty putting together successful extradition cases against foreign drug traffickers. Traffickers from East Asia – and South and Central America – frequently use Mexican drug trafficking organizations as intermediaries to transport illegal narcotics into the United States – leaving the point of origin drug traffickers several steps removed from the direct importation of either their precursor chemicals or the drugs produced from those chemicals.

Heitkamp’s bill would fix this problem by providing the department with new legal tools to prosecute foreign drug traffickers – many of which have come to North Dakota. It would also establish penalties for criminals who traffic precursor chemicals for drugs like meth, knowing that the drugs will be imported into the United States for the production and sale of illegal narcotics.

“Law enforcement in North Dakota has been working hard to address the state’s growing drug crime challenges and to make sure North Dakotans are safe in their homes and communities,” said Heitkamp. “North Dakota is no longer a remote stop on a long drug trafficking chain – we are now directly impacted by international trafficking and the challenges we now face related to drug crime are complex and require a comprehensive approach to find long-lasting solution. Through my Strong & Safe Communities Initiative and by bringing top officials from the Administration who oversee drug crime to North Dakota to see our challenges firsthand, we’re making progress to bolster resources and better support law enforcement. This bill builds on those efforts. As North Dakota’s former Attorney General, I’m all too familiar with the challenges law enforcement face to combat drug crime and how drug abuse can tear apart families and communities. The passage of this bipartisan bill is an important step forward but there’s still much work left to do.”

This was the second time Heitkamp’s bipartisan bill unanimously passed in the Senate. In December 2014, Heitkamp’s Transnational Drug Trafficking Act passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate but was not brought up for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives before the end of the last session of Congress.

The Transnational Drug Trafficking Act of 2015 would:

• Ensure that international drug traffickers can be prosecuted when there is “reasonable cause to believe” that drugs will be trafficked into the United States.

• Impose penalties on individuals who manufacture or distribute precursor chemicals, including pseudoephedrine, knowing that the chemicals will be used to make drugs or other controlled substances destined for the United States.

Since serving as North Dakota’s Attorney General, Heitkamp has played a leading role in supporting and protecting North Dakota communities. In August 2014, Heitkamp joined the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) Acting Director Michael Botticelli in Minot to announce a new national strategy to combat drug crime and trafficking across the country, with a particular focus on addressing growing drug problems in North Dakota. This announcement was made after Heitkamp brought former ONDCP Director R. Gil Kerlikowske to North Dakota in July 2013 to meet with local law enforcement and tribal officials about the major increase in drug crimes in the oil patch which is spreading to other areas. Just four months after that visit, ONDCP announced a series of steps to help reduce drug crime and abuse in the Bakken, including naming Williams County as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, making it eligible for more federal funds.

In January 2013, Heitkamp welcomed news that a special prosecutor will be placed in western North Dakota to help fight drug-related crimes in the state’s oil patch. To help address the unique law enforcement challenges in Indian Country, Heitkamp also brought together leaders from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in March 2013, focusing specifically on drug abuse and trafficking on the reservation.

Additionally, combating the growing instances of drug crime in North Dakota is a key focus of Heitkamp’s Strong & Safe Communities Initiative. Heitkamp’s Strong & Safe Communities Initiative aims to raise awareness about and find long-term solutions to emerging challenges facing North Dakota, like the increase in drug crime, to make sure North Dakota communities are strong and families are safe in their homes.

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