WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) urged the Biden administration to increase cyber investigations of fentanyl trafficking. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the senators highlighted how dark web opioid traffickers can exploit the anonymity and reach of the Internet to make illegal drugs available to American customers. 

“We write to urge the administration to prioritize cyber investigations into fentanyl trafficking and to inquire about steps that the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are taking to stop fentanyl from being trafficked into the United States through the use of the dark web,” the senators wrote. “Too often, these drug overdoses are the result of drugs purchased illegally on the dark web. Because of the anonymity that the dark web provides, sellers are able to make illicit drugs available to tens of thousands of customers.”

“It is critical that the administration prioritize these investigations to help make sure that fentanyl does not continue to devastate communities across the country,” the senators continued.

Senator Capito has led a number of efforts to strengthen West Virginia’s fight against the opioid epidemic. Specifically, Senator Capito co-sponsored the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP Act), enacted in 2018 to decrease the supply of fentanyl shipments to the United States. Senator Capito also recently announced funding through Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests for addiction prevention and recovery initiatives in Martinsburg and Charleston, and applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) announcement to change existing privacy regulations surrounding medical records for those suffering with substance use disorder.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Attorney General Garland, Administrator Milgram, and Secretary Mayorkas:

We write to urge the administration to prioritize cyber investigations into fentanyl trafficking and to inquire about steps that the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are taking to stop fentanyl from being trafficked into the United States through the use of the dark web. 

In 2021, the United States had more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths, the highest number ever recorded, up from 41,000 in 2012.  In 2020, the CDC reported that 75 percent of drug overdose deaths involved an opioid, and 82 percent of opioid-involved deaths involved synthetic opioids, including fentanyl. 

Too often, these drug overdoses are the result of drugs purchased illegally on the dark web. Because of the anonymity that the dark web provides, sellers are able to make illicit drugs available to tens of thousands of customers.  One 2021 study identified more than 28,000 listings for opioid products posted on anonymous online marketplaces. 

While your Departments have worked to target dark web opioid traffickers, including by partnering with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, it is critical that the administration prioritize these investigations to help make sure that fentanyl does not continue to devastate communities across the country. In particular, we are interested in the steps your Departments are taking, or plan to take, to increase their capacity to conduct cyber investigations into fentanyl trafficking.     

  1. What challenges or constraints has your Department faced in its efforts to stop fentanyl from entering communities across the United States through the dark web?

  2. How is your Department collaborating with other agencies to respond to fentanyl trafficking on the dark web?

  3. What steps has the Department taken, and what steps does it plan to take in the future, to stop fentanyl from making its way to American communities through the dark web?

  4. Has your Department considered how expanding cyber investigations into online fentanyl trafficking could help combat fentanyl trafficking? What steps, if any, has the Department taken to increase its capacity to conduct these kinds of investigations?

  5. What steps has your Department taken or does it plan to take to investigate and prevent the illicit movement of fentanyl precursors into the United States through the dark web?

We appreciate your attention to this important matter. 

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