Overview: The Transnational Drug Trafficking Act
Let’s explore the Transnational Drug Trafficking Act (S. 706), which was passed by the Senate on Dec. 15, 2014, but has yet to be approved by Congress. Its goal is to reduce the supply of drugs coming across U.S. borders from foreign countries.
Co-authored by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the act aims to curb and to reduce the supply of drugs in the U.S. The two senators are co-chairs on the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.
Specifically, the law will allow the Department of Justice authority for prosecuting foreign drug traffickers.
That means penalties can be applied to foreign chemical producers who illegally and knowingly ship precursor drugs into the country. They know these drugs will be used in the creation of illegal drugs. Precursors can be cold medicine, which is used in the creation of the highly addictive drug methamphetamine.
It also will aid the Justice Department in forming extradition cases. They are targeting Andean-area drug kingpins, which includes Peru and Columbia. Drug trafficking groups from Mexico are utilized by these kingpins to help funnel illegal narcotics into the U.S.
The law is meant to address an issue that is constantly in flux, since drug cartels evolve as the situation changes. The act wants to close a loophole that allows drug traffickers to use intermediaries to get their product into the country.
The bill underscores and supports president Obama’s “Strategy to Combat Transnational organized Crime.”
Critics of the bill say the problem is already too large, and that this new act is too little too late when it comes to the manufacturing and transportation of drugs.
The bill comes in the wake of many states attempting to find ways to decriminalize marijuana. According to a 2014 pew Research Center poll, most U.S. citizens want to steer away from mandatory minimums for drug offenses, while 54 percent of Americans say marijuana should be legalized.
Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer Lawrence Wolf has been defending and prosecuting drug crime cases for 40 years. If you need legal advice, please call the You Are Innocent offices at (310) 277-1707.
