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Senators Hassan and Cornyn Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Dark Web Drug Trafficking

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, and John Cornyn (R-TX) reintroduced a bipartisan bill to strengthen penalties on drug dealers and target international fentanyl trafficking through the dark web.

“The dark web is a hotspot for illegal drug trafficking, which helps fuel the fentanyl crisis that is devastating New Hampshire and communities across our country,” said Senator Hassan. “This bipartisan bill will strengthen penalties on drug traffickers who use the dark web, making it more difficult for criminals to hide behind a computer as they spread illegal drugs on our streets.”

“The dark web has become a marketplace for drug traffickers who exploit anonymity to flood our communities with deadly narcotics,” said Senator Cornyn. “This bill gives law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on these criminals by helping prosecutors hold bad actors accountable and by disrupting illicit drug sales on the dark web.” 

The bipartisan Dark Web Interdiction Act would:

  • Strengthen criminal penalties on individuals convicted of trafficking illegal drugs on the dark web by directing the United States Sentencing Commission to enhance sentencing guidelines for those individuals. 
  • Solidify the work of the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) task force that leads coordinated international, federal, state, and local efforts to combat drug trafficking on the dark web. Since its creation in 2018, J-CODE has led to hundreds of arrests worldwide, seizures of thousands of pounds of narcotics, and the closure of several dark web marketplaces. 
  • Direct the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Treasury Department to issue a report to Congress within one year detailing the use of cryptocurrency in the distribution of opioids on the dark web, as well as provide recommendations for how Congress can address the use of virtual currency for opioid trafficking on the dark web. 

This bipartisan bill is part of Senator Hassan’s ongoing efforts to stop drug trafficking and support communities devastated by the fentanyl crisis. Senator Hassan helped introduce the bipartisan HALT Fentanyl Act to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, which passed the U.S. Senate in March. Senator Hassan also helped advance the bipartisan DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act, which was signed into law in December and is supporting law enforcement with enhanced tools to find and eliminate illegal substances such as fentanyl and xylazine. Additionally, Senator Hassan and her colleagues passed into law the bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which targets the illicit fentanyl supply chain and imposes sanctions on traffickers. Senator Hassan also developed the END FENTANYL Act, signed into law last year, which helps strengthen Customs and Border Protection’s efforts to crack down on fentanyl trafficking at the border.

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