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A
year-long probe by a Senate Homeland Security and Government
Affairs investigations subcommittee found there is easy access
for buyers in the United States to purchase fentanyl, often in
relatively large quantities, through the internet.
The drugs are mailed by "labs" in China to individuals who
consume them or to middlemen who dilute them for resale.
Investigators refused to divulge the names of the labs.
According to the report, the U.S. Postal Service has failed to
widely deploy a system to capture advanced electronic data (AED)
about packages destined for American ports, which would help
identify suspicious mail to be turned over to U.S. Customs and
Border Protection agents.
The U.S. Postal Service said in a statement it was "working
aggressively with law enforcement and key trading partners to
stem the flow of illegal drugs entering the United States."
USPS is "prioritizing obtaining AED from the largest volume
foreign posts, which collectively account for over 90 percent of
inbound volumes," the statement said.
Asked about the probe, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua
Chunying told a regular briefing that she was unaware of the
specifics, but said that prevention of drug production,
possession and sale is a "brightspot" in China-U.S. relations.
EXPRESS MAIL
Staff of the Permanent Investigations Subcommittee said they
focused on six "very responsive" providers in China, out of
hundreds of pages of websites offering fentanyl for sale.
The result was the identification of 500 online transactions
involving fentanyl, mainly in powder form, with a street value
of about $766 million.
U.S. fatalities linked to opioids including fentanyl have been
rising dramatically and totaled more than 42,000 in 2016,
according to government data.
Online sales from China tracked by the Senate investigators were
linked to seven confirmed synthetic opioid-related deaths in the
United States, they said.
The investigation was overseen by Republican Senator Rob Portman
of Ohio, the subcommittee chairman, and Senator Tom Carper of
Delaware, the panel's senior Democrat.
Investigators said the Chinese sellers were eager to ship the
fentanyl using Express Mail Service, which operates worldwide
through each country's postal operations, including the U.S.
Postal Service.
Surcharges are applied, the investigators said, for customers
demanding shipment through private delivery services, such as
FedEx, DHL and United Parcel Service, because of the greater
likelihood the goods would be seized.
The Senate investigation concluded that the U.S. Postal Service
received advanced electronic data on 36 percent of all
international packages, meaning about 318 million parcels last
year were not monitored.
"We now know the depth to which drug traffickers exploit our
mail system to ship fentanyl and other synthetic drugs into the
United States," Portman said in a statement.
The Senate panel scheduled a hearing for Thursday to question
postal, border protection, State Department and other officials.
The report recommended tighter monitoring of international
shipments, increased inspections and other steps.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by Christian
Shepherd in Beijing; Editing by Tom Brown and Neil Fullick)
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