WEBVTT 00:05.438 --> 00:06.306 Well thank you. 00:06.306 --> 00:08.174 I mean, first and foremost, 00:08.174 --> 00:10.243 thank you for the opportunity to talk about, 00:10.243 --> 00:13.680 with the men and women are doing to fight, 00:13.680 --> 00:16.549 to keep the poison off the streets of America. 00:16.549 --> 00:22.188 So we first started seeing fentanyl in the 2013, 2014 00:22.188 --> 00:22.922 timeframe. 00:22.922 --> 00:26.726 Interestingly enough, back in 2013, 2014, 00:26.726 --> 00:29.295 we didn't really know what we were encountering. 00:29.295 --> 00:32.298 we didn't have the right tools, technology, 00:32.298 --> 00:33.066 and we didn't even 00:33.066 --> 00:35.568 have the right fields within our systems 00:35.568 --> 00:38.638 to record fentanyl seizures. 00:38.638 --> 00:41.307 so what we had to do during that time 00:41.307 --> 00:44.010 frame is, number one, identify the substance, 00:44.010 --> 00:45.512 that we were dealing with. 00:45.512 --> 00:47.047 And then when we did identify them, 00:47.047 --> 00:48.448 what we were doing was 00:48.448 --> 00:50.083 we had our change, our system 00:50.083 --> 00:52.852 so we can record what we are seizing. 00:52.852 --> 00:53.987 But first and foremost, 00:53.987 --> 00:56.156 we had to figure out how to keep our officers 00:56.156 --> 00:59.192 and agents safe from fentanyl. 00:59.192 --> 01:01.261 So when we first started encountering 01:01.261 --> 01:03.329 fentanyl 2013/2014, 01:03.329 --> 01:07.600 there was some pill forms over some, powder forms, 01:07.600 --> 01:12.772 counterfeit pills, 100% pure fentanyl coming from China. 01:13.106 --> 01:14.641 And what we did is, 01:14.641 --> 01:18.545 we we looked at, new and emerging technologies 01:18.545 --> 01:20.413 to keep our officers and agents safe. 01:20.413 --> 01:21.481 Number one, 01:21.481 --> 01:22.015 Naloxone 01:22.015 --> 01:24.684 we were able to test in the locks 01:24.684 --> 01:26.786 on at our ports of entry. 01:26.786 --> 01:27.687 number two, 01:27.687 --> 01:30.523 we are looking at ways to identify 01:30.523 --> 01:33.493 what the fentanyl actually was. 01:33.493 --> 01:37.931 So we, we looked at, a new and emerging technology. 01:37.931 --> 01:39.165 It was a handheld device 01:39.165 --> 01:42.001 that could quickly identify those substance, 01:42.001 --> 01:44.904 that you were encountering. 01:44.904 --> 01:46.806 And then, number three, 01:46.806 --> 01:48.508 we had to get the training to our officers. 01:48.508 --> 01:51.945 Were are you dealing with, what are the health risks? 01:51.945 --> 01:53.379 How do you handle it? 01:53.379 --> 01:55.048 How do you identify it? 01:55.048 --> 01:57.484 And what equipment do you need to protect yourself? 01:57.484 --> 01:59.419 Like, the personal protective equipment. 01:59.419 --> 02:01.654 So we got personal protective coming 02:01.654 --> 02:02.722 out to our officers 02:02.722 --> 02:04.524 and agents. So quickly, 02:04.524 --> 02:08.194 we got naloxone to, multiple ports of entry, 02:08.194 --> 02:09.529 the Gemini devices, 02:09.529 --> 02:14.334 we started testing, testing those at nine ports of entry. 02:14.334 --> 02:17.504 And when we found out it was effective, we quickly 02:17.504 --> 02:20.273 acquired 90 of them and got them to the, 02:20.273 --> 02:22.142 officers and agents around the country. 02:22.142 --> 02:24.244 But as we move forward, 02:24.244 --> 02:28.414 and we started seeing the 100% pure fentanyl coming 02:28.414 --> 02:29.949 and were able to identify 02:29.949 --> 02:31.885 coming directly from China, 02:31.885 --> 02:33.453 we really started looking at our mail 02:33.453 --> 02:35.321 and our express facilities. 02:35.321 --> 02:38.291 So we got, we got the naloxone, 02:38.291 --> 02:40.793 got the PPE, personal protective equipment, 02:40.793 --> 02:43.730 we got the handheld devices. And then what other, 02:45.031 --> 02:47.734 tools do we have for our officers to identify the Fentanyl? 02:47.734 --> 02:50.069 I know it's the it's the canines, right? 02:50.069 --> 02:50.970 It's a historically, 02:50.970 --> 02:53.139 you're out in the southwest border, your at your mail facilities, 02:53.139 --> 02:54.240 you get your canines. 02:54.240 --> 02:55.642 While our canines were trained 02:55.642 --> 02:57.443 to identify fentanyl at that time. 02:57.443 --> 03:01.381 So we became the first agency that I know of in the world 03:01.381 --> 03:05.451 that, trained our dogs to identify fentanyl. 03:05.451 --> 03:10.256 So that's kind of, you know, the history 2013, 2014. 03:10.256 --> 03:12.091 We really didn't know what we were dealing with 03:12.091 --> 03:14.727 until 2015, 2016. 03:14.727 --> 03:17.664 We got, the personal protective equipment, 03:17.664 --> 03:22.368 the, equipment to identify it, got our canines trained up, 03:22.368 --> 03:23.903 but we were missing a piece. 03:23.903 --> 03:25.071 We were missing the piece, 03:25.071 --> 03:28.107 the prosecution piece, that presumptive positive. 03:28.107 --> 03:29.842 So that's when we really started 03:29.842 --> 03:32.145 looking at the forward operating labs. 03:32.145 --> 03:34.814 We have our scientists that worked in the background, 03:34.814 --> 03:35.748 always have, 03:35.748 --> 03:38.718 always have where we could send substances, 03:38.718 --> 03:41.154 whether it's, narcotics, 03:41.154 --> 03:43.690 cotton, to determine where it's from, 03:43.690 --> 03:46.526 really the best in the world at what they do. 03:46.526 --> 03:47.994 And we understood that we needed 03:47.994 --> 03:49.662 to get that to the front line 03:49.662 --> 03:52.799 as opposed to getting the narcotics to the scientists. 03:52.799 --> 03:56.102 So we started implementing, forward operating labs 03:56.102 --> 03:58.972 at our mail facilities and our express facilities. 03:58.972 --> 04:01.608 So number one, after that, presumptive 04:01.608 --> 04:05.278 after the presumptive positive with the handheld device, 04:05.278 --> 04:08.147 you could have the scientist verify it, 04:08.147 --> 04:10.783 understand what the substances were as 04:10.783 --> 04:13.019 we were trying to schedule, 04:13.019 --> 04:16.923 the precursors and the, the fentanyl itself, is that, 04:16.923 --> 04:18.891 the analogs changed over time. 04:18.891 --> 04:20.627 So we could quickly do that, 04:20.627 --> 04:22.795 but we can also get that, positive 04:22.795 --> 04:25.164 to our, our investigative partners 04:25.164 --> 04:28.201 who could use that for prosecutions and the like. 04:28.201 --> 04:34.474 So as we moved from that, that 100% pure fentanyl, and, 04:34.474 --> 04:38.011 and we got to that point where we're at in 2017, 2018, 04:38.011 --> 04:40.580 got it forward operating labs up and running. 04:40.580 --> 04:41.814 We really started looking at 04:41.814 --> 04:45.184 what we're going to do with China because 100% pure. 04:45.184 --> 04:47.687 And that's when, all of government approach 04:47.687 --> 04:49.756 came together to really, 04:49.756 --> 04:51.224 get over to China 04:51.224 --> 04:54.494 and, and, and get them to schedule fentanyl as well. 04:54.494 --> 04:55.762 And that's when we saw the shift 04:55.762 --> 04:59.299 to the southwest border, really 2019 timeframe, 04:59.299 --> 05:00.466 and to where we're at today. 05:05.705 --> 05:06.839 It's a great question. 05:06.839 --> 05:08.441 And I'd say, number one, 05:08.441 --> 05:10.743 no matter what the the mission 05:10.743 --> 05:13.313 said is our officers and agents, 05:13.313 --> 05:16.282 if you give them the tools, the resources 05:16.282 --> 05:18.718 and the information to do the job, 05:18.718 --> 05:20.787 they're going they're going to do the job. 05:20.787 --> 05:22.088 And that's what we've seen. 05:22.088 --> 05:23.956 We've been at the forefront 05:23.956 --> 05:27.160 of this fighting against opioids, synthetic opioids, 05:27.160 --> 05:29.128 since the very beginning. 05:29.128 --> 05:34.334 So the how’s have evolved over time as the narcotics moved 05:34.334 --> 05:35.768 to the southwest border, right, 05:35.768 --> 05:41.040 so what we saw as we saw, China scheduling in 2019 05:41.341 --> 05:44.010 as they scheduled fentanyl, 05:44.010 --> 05:45.211 the fentanyl production 05:45.211 --> 05:48.514 moved to Mexico, the precursors started moving, it 05:48.514 --> 05:50.883 started moving to Mexico, 05:50.883 --> 05:53.086 and we started seeing the pill and powder, 05:53.086 --> 05:54.721 come across the southwest 05:54.721 --> 05:56.689 border specifically, 05:56.689 --> 06:00.360 mostly, traffic by, the Sinaloa Cartel, 06:00.360 --> 06:02.362 at that time and still today, 06:02.362 --> 06:04.764 which is in Arizona and California, 06:04.764 --> 06:06.733 they control that corridor. 06:06.733 --> 06:08.568 So what we've really had to do 06:08.568 --> 06:10.002 is to the very same thing 06:10.002 --> 06:13.039 that we did in the mail and the express environments 06:13.039 --> 06:15.108 we need to ensure that our officers 06:15.108 --> 06:16.776 and agents had the training. 06:16.776 --> 06:19.445 We had enough, of the handheld devices 06:19.445 --> 06:20.980 so they could keep themselves safe, 06:20.980 --> 06:22.815 personal protective equipment 06:22.815 --> 06:24.717 that we brought all of our partners 06:24.717 --> 06:27.620 together to attack this problem, 06:27.620 --> 06:30.556 together, foreign and domestic. 06:30.556 --> 06:35.395 But we also have to start looking at new technology 06:35.395 --> 06:39.999 to identify, the narcotics as they came across the border, 06:39.999 --> 06:41.367 and that's when we really, 06:41.367 --> 06:42.001 looked 06:42.001 --> 06:43.169 at bringing more 06:43.169 --> 06:45.705 non-intrusive technology to the southwest border 06:45.705 --> 06:48.474 so we could scan more vehicles and people. 06:48.474 --> 06:52.345 And Congress gave us money in 2019 to do just that. 06:52.345 --> 06:53.913 And we have started implementing 06:53.913 --> 06:55.982 that technology across the southwest border. 06:55.982 --> 06:59.152 But I think what's really exciting today 06:59.152 --> 07:01.621 is, the artificial 07:01.621 --> 07:03.322 intelligence, machine learning 07:03.322 --> 07:05.191 has caught up to that technology. 07:05.191 --> 07:05.758 So we're 07:05.758 --> 07:08.494 starting to implement that artificial intelligence, 07:08.494 --> 07:09.562 machine learning 07:09.562 --> 07:11.330 across the southwest border, 07:11.330 --> 07:13.266 which is going to allow 07:13.266 --> 07:14.801 allow that, machine 07:14.801 --> 07:18.638 to get that information to our officers and agents quickly, 07:18.638 --> 07:20.873 so they can make that decision. 07:20.873 --> 07:24.110 But more than that, over the last two years, 07:24.110 --> 07:28.381 I would say we've really taken on all of CBP approach. 07:28.381 --> 07:29.715 And why are we doing that? 07:29.715 --> 07:31.551 Because we're not just dealing 07:31.551 --> 07:34.854 with the fentanyl coming across the southwest border. 07:34.854 --> 07:38.124 We're dealing with the entire supply chain. 07:38.124 --> 07:38.558 You know, 07:38.558 --> 07:40.927 I'll say this 100 times, we've lost 07:40.927 --> 07:42.528 if we're fighting the war 07:42.528 --> 07:45.031 on drugs, the war on fentanyl 07:45.031 --> 07:46.766 on the southwest border has to be 07:46.766 --> 07:48.134 an all government approach. 07:48.134 --> 07:49.202 And and, 07:49.202 --> 07:51.103 fentanyl for as challenging as it is, 07:51.103 --> 07:52.972 it gives us multiple opportunities 07:52.972 --> 07:54.640 to attack the supply chain. 07:54.640 --> 07:57.243 This really is just like the supply chain 07:57.243 --> 07:58.344 of legitimate goods. 07:58.344 --> 08:01.514 It's a supply chain of illegitimate goods. 08:01.514 --> 08:06.652 So as we surge resources to the southwest border, 22/23 08:06.652 --> 08:08.120 and had operations 08:09.121 --> 08:14.760 such as Rolling Wave, Blue Lotus, Artemus, and the like, 08:14.961 --> 08:17.363 we are able to identify intelligence, 08:17.363 --> 08:19.065 not only of the narcotics 08:19.065 --> 08:21.167 coming across the southwest border, 08:21.167 --> 08:22.335 but the unique 08:22.335 --> 08:24.937 or the unique thing we did through these operations 08:24.937 --> 08:27.039 is we surged all of our resources, 08:27.039 --> 08:30.810 we searched Border Patrol, Office of Field Operations, 08:30.810 --> 08:32.311 Office of Trade, 08:32.311 --> 08:34.547 our scientists that we've already talked about, 08:34.547 --> 08:36.482 our Office of Intelligence, 08:36.482 --> 08:37.950 all of CBP 08:37.950 --> 08:39.051 to these locations, 08:39.051 --> 08:42.321 developed that intelligence, made those seizures, 08:42.321 --> 08:45.358 work with our foreign partners, our domestic partners, 08:45.358 --> 08:47.627 and really started looking at the precursors 08:47.627 --> 08:48.661 and the pill presses. 08:48.661 --> 08:52.265 And that led us to the latter part of 2023, 08:52.265 --> 08:53.566 when we surge resources 08:53.566 --> 08:55.935 to our airports and express hubs 08:55.935 --> 08:58.971 to look for the precursors coming in to the 08:58.971 --> 09:01.140 to the U.S. as well. 09:01.140 --> 09:02.141 And as we were 09:02.141 --> 09:02.808 as we started 09:02.808 --> 09:03.242 looking for 09:03.242 --> 09:05.545 the precursors based on the intelligence we’d, 09:05.545 --> 09:08.648 we’d garnered from our previous operations, 09:08.648 --> 09:14.120 we saw the precursors coming into Los Angeles, JFK, 09:14.120 --> 09:16.188 and some of the other express hubs. 09:16.188 --> 09:18.824 And we also continue to see the pill presses 09:18.824 --> 09:19.492 dies, molds 09:19.492 --> 09:21.093 that are pressing, 09:21.093 --> 09:24.997 the narcotic or pressing the pills, the fentanyl pills. 09:24.997 --> 09:27.233 And the interesting thing about the precursors, 09:27.233 --> 09:30.770 as they were coming in transit through the U.S., 09:30.770 --> 09:32.471 through the southwest border 09:32.471 --> 09:35.107 into Mexico, being pressed and coming back up. 09:35.107 --> 09:36.409 So they gave us multiple, 09:36.409 --> 09:38.144 multiple opportunities 09:38.144 --> 09:38.811 to really hit 09:38.811 --> 09:42.014 these transnational criminal organizations that are moving, 09:42.014 --> 09:42.848 the fentanyl. 09:42.848 --> 09:45.084 So as we looked at that problem set, 09:45.084 --> 09:46.252 it really highlighted 09:46.252 --> 09:48.821 the need to do more on the trade side. 09:48.821 --> 09:51.223 we have this De Minimis situation 09:51.223 --> 09:52.558 where we're seeing, 09:52.558 --> 09:55.728 a billion, over a billion small packages 09:55.728 --> 09:56.095 a year 09:56.095 --> 09:57.363 coming through, 09:57.363 --> 10:02.001 the air cargo, mostly, but now air cargo, land borders, 10:02.001 --> 10:03.603 and sea containers. 10:03.603 --> 10:06.806 And that's really allowed us to take a deeper dive 10:06.806 --> 10:10.810 and look at our current, laws that we have in place to. 10:10.810 --> 10:15.715 And it's enabled us to develop, a package, that, 10:15.715 --> 10:20.353 package, a legislative package that will allow us to see 10:20.353 --> 10:21.220 where the, 10:21.220 --> 10:23.556 the small packages are coming from, 10:23.556 --> 10:26.993 what's in the small packages, where they're going to, 10:26.993 --> 10:30.329 and just as importantly, information sharing, 10:30.329 --> 10:32.498 so we can share with our partners 10:32.498 --> 10:34.767 so they can look at it, our private partners, 10:34.767 --> 10:35.901 and also, 10:35.901 --> 10:37.670 a penalty regime 10:37.670 --> 10:39.171 where we can hold those accountable 10:39.171 --> 10:41.674 when they're knowingly bringing small packages 10:41.674 --> 10:43.142 in without the right information. 10:48.447 --> 10:50.883 That's every aspect of this organization. 10:50.883 --> 10:53.119 And, you know, you bring up, 10:53.119 --> 10:55.054 you bring up the officers, the agents, 10:55.054 --> 10:56.722 the law enforcement professionals, 10:56.722 --> 10:58.391 certainly, 10:58.391 --> 10:59.458 the reason they came into 10:59.458 --> 11:03.029 this profession is to keep this poison off the streets. 11:03.029 --> 11:06.065 You talk to many of the new hires that we have, 11:06.065 --> 11:06.932 coming into 11:06.932 --> 11:09.735 CBP, Customs and Border Protection, and you will 11:09.735 --> 11:13.472 you will hear I want to keep fentanyl off the streets. 11:13.472 --> 11:15.841 But it's very much the same for the scientists 11:15.841 --> 11:18.678 we hire, our OIT professionals. 11:18.678 --> 11:21.781 It's really a mission we all rally around, right? 11:21.781 --> 11:25.885 We can rally around keeping, fentanyl off the streets 11:25.885 --> 11:27.687 and keeping Americans safe. 11:27.687 --> 11:28.621 Our children safe, 11:28.621 --> 11:30.723 because we all have a story, 11:30.723 --> 11:32.024 that we can tell of somebody 11:32.024 --> 11:34.660 we know that lost somebody because of fentanyl. 11:39.632 --> 11:40.733 It's very personal. 11:40.733 --> 11:41.434 I have 11:41.434 --> 11:43.269 a daughter and a wife, 11:43.269 --> 11:44.837 and I'm going to do everything I can 11:44.837 --> 11:46.839 to keep fentanyl off the streets in this country, 11:46.839 --> 11:49.341 keep our children safe. 11:54.313 --> 11:55.781 I think they understand 11:55.781 --> 11:59.218 that we are in interdicting drugs at the border. 11:59.218 --> 12:02.188 I don't know that the public understands 12:02.188 --> 12:05.958 that we have a piece in every single aspect of fighting 12:05.958 --> 12:09.662 fentanyl. We're working with our foreign partners. 12:09.662 --> 12:12.164 We're working with our state and local partners. 12:12.164 --> 12:14.266 I don't think people understand 12:14.266 --> 12:17.536 the relationships we have with, the sheriffs 12:17.536 --> 12:20.172 in Southern California, Arizona, 12:20.172 --> 12:22.541 or that we've worked with the state of Virginia 12:22.541 --> 12:26.212 through an operation called Free Virginia from fentanyl. 12:26.212 --> 12:28.080 I don't think they understand, 12:28.080 --> 12:30.883 the amount of information 12:30.883 --> 12:32.818 that our organization collects 12:32.818 --> 12:36.489 that we can use to fully identify these transnational, 12:36.489 --> 12:39.091 criminal organizations and bring them to justice. 12:39.091 --> 12:39.792 Let's face it, 12:39.792 --> 12:41.227 every aspect 12:41.227 --> 12:43.229 of a transnational criminal organization 12:43.229 --> 12:46.532 crosses our border, whether it's the people, 12:46.532 --> 12:48.768 whether it's the drugs themselves, 12:48.768 --> 12:49.869 whether it's the money, 12:49.869 --> 12:51.837 or whether it's the weapons going south bound 12:51.837 --> 12:54.140 to support the transnational organizations 12:54.140 --> 12:57.076 bringing the narcotics into our communities. 13:02.314 --> 13:03.249 That's a great question. 13:03.249 --> 13:07.353 So I would, couch it like this; just like there's a 13:07.353 --> 13:09.989 a supply chain for the narcotics, 13:09.989 --> 13:14.226 the TCO’s, control the supply chain for the narcotics. 13:14.226 --> 13:17.596 So when, when we're talking about the organizations, 13:17.596 --> 13:18.531 maybe the legit, 13:18.531 --> 13:21.967 the people that are coordinating for the precursors, 13:21.967 --> 13:24.937 to get on a plane to come into this country, 13:24.937 --> 13:27.106 we're going to go after those folks, the folks 13:27.106 --> 13:28.174 that are laundering 13:28.174 --> 13:31.710 the money back to places like China for those precursors 13:31.710 --> 13:33.579 or to Mexico for their narcotics. 13:33.579 --> 13:35.481 We're going to go after those people. 13:35.481 --> 13:38.751 we're going to look at the logistic nodes, the carriers, 13:38.751 --> 13:41.687 however that that that narcotic gets here. 13:41.687 --> 13:44.056 But let's not forget about the southwest border itself, 13:44.056 --> 13:48.394 so we can interdict the narcotics all day long at our ports 13:48.394 --> 13:50.095 and between our ports of entry, 13:50.095 --> 13:51.864 but we need to deny access. 13:51.864 --> 13:54.033 So I think one of the unique ways 13:54.033 --> 13:57.770 that we're, to we're evolving as we go forward 13:57.770 --> 13:59.538 as list deny the access. 13:59.538 --> 14:01.073 And how do we deny the access 14:01.073 --> 14:03.242 the transnational criminal organizations 14:03.242 --> 14:04.476 or the plaza bosses 14:04.476 --> 14:06.212 that all know specific 14:06.212 --> 14:08.247 that specific geography of the border 14:08.247 --> 14:10.282 that's bringing the narcotics through? 14:10.282 --> 14:13.619 They charge a fee for the narcotics, the human smuggling, 14:13.619 --> 14:15.521 the weapons going south. 14:15.521 --> 14:18.724 If we can identify the plaza bosses themselves, 14:18.724 --> 14:20.960 and the logistics networks 14:20.960 --> 14:24.029 that are used to bring the narcotics across our border, 14:24.029 --> 14:26.165 and we can stop those folks 14:26.165 --> 14:28.534 with our foreign domestic 14:28.534 --> 14:32.037 and, state and local law enforcement partners, 14:32.037 --> 14:34.640 we can really have an effect on the flow of narcotics. 14:39.612 --> 14:41.480 We do, our Office of intelligence 14:41.480 --> 14:42.648 working with the operators, 14:42.648 --> 14:44.550 have been working 14:44.550 --> 14:47.353 specifically on the plaza level 14:47.353 --> 14:49.021 for years and years and years. 14:49.021 --> 14:52.191 What we've done is we've put that all together, 14:52.191 --> 14:55.394 across the southwest border to identify the plazas, 14:55.394 --> 14:57.997 and those responsible for the plaza bosses, 14:57.997 --> 15:00.866 through our own research and through coordination 15:00.866 --> 15:03.836 with our investigative partners. 15:08.807 --> 15:10.476 So fentanyl itself, 15:10.476 --> 15:11.844 what we continue to see 15:11.844 --> 15:14.580 is 90% of the fentanyl we're seizing 15:14.580 --> 15:15.347 is coming, 15:15.347 --> 15:20.552 really in two locations, Arizona and California. 15:20.586 --> 15:22.955 So we've really focused our efforts 15:22.955 --> 15:25.658 over the last year or so specifically there. 15:25.658 --> 15:28.527 So I would start with Operation Apollo, 15:28.527 --> 15:29.862 where 15:29.862 --> 15:35.567 when we announced our new strategy in October of 2024, 15:35.901 --> 15:38.370 we really were talking about a couple of things 15:38.370 --> 15:39.605 we've already talked about. Right? 15:39.605 --> 15:42.007 So we were talking about keeping our people 15:42.007 --> 15:45.377 safe, educated in our communities, training PPE, 15:45.377 --> 15:47.479 PPE and the like. 15:47.479 --> 15:51.750 but we're also talking about, developing information, 15:51.750 --> 15:54.386 partnerships and most importantly, 15:54.386 --> 15:56.855 really having that campaign 15:56.855 --> 15:58.924 where we bring everybody together, 15:58.924 --> 16:01.760 to operationalize everything we just talked about. 16:01.760 --> 16:05.497 So Operation Apollo did just that in Southern California. 16:05.497 --> 16:07.967 We brought our federal partners together. 16:07.967 --> 16:10.235 We brought our state partners together. 16:10.235 --> 16:12.371 We flattened out information sharing. 16:12.371 --> 16:13.772 And at our choosing, 16:13.772 --> 16:15.641 we started going after those networks 16:15.641 --> 16:17.609 and the logistics areas 16:17.609 --> 16:18.877 that we can, all the way 16:18.877 --> 16:20.813 from the southwest border up to Los Angeles, 16:20.813 --> 16:22.147 where the precursors and the pill 16:22.147 --> 16:24.583 presses are coming together. 16:24.583 --> 16:26.218 And then we took 16:26.218 --> 16:28.153 that successful operation, 16:28.153 --> 16:31.156 and we moved it over to Arizona, to 16:31.156 --> 16:33.025 to the place where we're actually seeing 16:33.025 --> 16:34.526 the most fentanyl come through, 16:34.526 --> 16:37.296 which is specifically in Nogales. 16:37.296 --> 16:38.764 And we're bringing our partners 16:38.764 --> 16:40.733 together there through Apollo. 16:40.733 --> 16:43.102 But at that same time, 16:43.102 --> 16:44.136 we wanted to take it 16:44.136 --> 16:45.437 one step further and start 16:45.437 --> 16:47.473 working with our foreign partners 16:47.473 --> 16:49.675 and denying access to the border. 16:49.675 --> 16:51.877 And that's where we announced Plaza Spike. 16:51.877 --> 16:52.611 So we had, 16:52.611 --> 16:53.645 as we talked about, 16:53.645 --> 16:56.315 we had a dignified the plaza bosses in the plazas 16:56.315 --> 16:58.217 across the southwest border. 16:58.217 --> 17:00.586 So bringing our international partners together 17:00.586 --> 17:02.721 and our domestic investigative partners 17:02.721 --> 17:07.926 together, we really identified the highest, 17:08.160 --> 17:11.296 those responsible for the bringing 17:11.296 --> 17:13.699 the most fentanyl into the U.S., 17:13.699 --> 17:17.403 And we we named that individual, Gio, 17:17.403 --> 17:19.838 just a few short months ago 17:19.838 --> 17:22.207 to go after his logistic network, 17:22.207 --> 17:24.476 specifically because 40% 17:24.476 --> 17:26.945 of all the fentanyl comes through his plaza. 17:26.945 --> 17:29.681 And we're going to expand that in the near future. 17:29.681 --> 17:32.951 But he he owns that geographic area. 17:32.951 --> 17:36.789 His lieutenants have the logistics networks. 17:36.789 --> 17:38.257 They come into the U.S., 17:38.257 --> 17:39.825 but also the 17:39.825 --> 17:41.627 these are the same people that are, 17:41.627 --> 17:44.329 facilitating the violence in Mexico. 17:44.329 --> 17:45.931 So we're seeing the weapons go back 17:45.931 --> 17:47.800 all through those same plazas. 17:47.800 --> 17:51.270 So as we put all that together, we can put more pressure 17:51.270 --> 17:54.907 on that particular plaza boss and that particular plaza. 17:54.907 --> 17:57.876 And I can tell you directly after our announcement, 17:59.678 --> 18:02.915 of, the Plaza spike in particular, 18:02.915 --> 18:04.416 we saw a decrease in fentanyl, 18:04.416 --> 18:06.852 coming through that, that AOR, 18:06.852 --> 18:08.954 they were certainly learning, 18:08.954 --> 18:11.790 but we also had had some successes. 18:16.628 --> 18:19.331 We can do it without partnerships. Again, we can't do this, 18:19.331 --> 18:21.867 we can't do this at the border. 18:21.867 --> 18:25.838 I'll go back to a time and time again. 18:25.838 --> 18:27.806 We need to get the men and women 18:27.806 --> 18:31.944 of CBP, the resources, the tools and the information 18:31.944 --> 18:33.345 to do the job 18:33.345 --> 18:34.913 that they're more equipped to do, 18:34.913 --> 18:38.383 than any other agency, you know, in the U.S.. 18:38.383 --> 18:40.085 But we can't do it without the partnerships, 18:40.085 --> 18:41.086 we can do our part, 18:41.086 --> 18:43.755 but we need the information to operationalize it. 18:43.755 --> 18:45.791 We can do our part, but we 18:45.791 --> 18:47.593 we can help with the prosecutions. 18:47.593 --> 18:49.094 We can help with the extraditions. 18:49.094 --> 18:50.129 We can help 18:50.129 --> 18:53.165 with, the relationships with our foreign partners. 18:53.165 --> 18:55.167 We can do all that. 18:55.167 --> 18:56.235 We can't do it alone, 18:56.235 --> 18:59.338 we need our partners to, be in the fight with us, 18:59.338 --> 18:59.905 and they are. 19:05.310 --> 19:08.480 The state and local, partnership is essential. 19:08.480 --> 19:13.418 you know, I like to explain that simply if, 19:13.418 --> 19:18.123 10 pounds of fentanyl ended up in Kansas, and the state 19:18.123 --> 19:20.859 local partner sees it, from 19:20.859 --> 19:26.064 you know, a car, a house, a person, a business, whatever, 19:26.565 --> 19:27.866 it didn't to show up there. 19:27.866 --> 19:31.170 Where did the fentanyl can come from? It came from Mexico. 19:31.170 --> 19:33.138 so is that intelligence information 19:33.138 --> 19:35.440 that we can use to keep that fentanyl off the streets? 19:35.440 --> 19:36.175 Of course it is. 19:36.175 --> 19:38.010 So if we can figure out 19:38.010 --> 19:40.279 how to flatten out the information sharing 19:40.279 --> 19:41.380 when we see something, 19:41.380 --> 19:42.414 we can share what the state 19:42.414 --> 19:44.750 and locals. When state and local see something, 19:44.750 --> 19:47.753 they can share it with us. Through our vast holdings 19:47.753 --> 19:49.421 we can actually, 19:49.421 --> 19:51.490 expand that network, 19:51.490 --> 19:53.792 identify who brought it up, how it got there, 19:53.792 --> 19:55.961 share it back with the state and local partners 19:55.961 --> 19:58.664 who can take action to bring these folks to justice. 20:04.002 --> 20:05.404 I'm glad you brought that up. 20:05.404 --> 20:10.609 one of the most important things we did as we've evolved, 20:11.610 --> 20:12.678 one of the most important things 20:12.678 --> 20:14.179 we've done as we've evolved, 20:14.179 --> 20:16.448 in our fight against fentanyl, 20:16.448 --> 20:19.451 as we've really leveraged our national targeting center 20:19.451 --> 20:21.853 and our analytic capability, 20:21.853 --> 20:23.755 our information sharing capability, 20:23.755 --> 20:25.557 our partnerships that we've established 20:25.557 --> 20:26.658 over the years, 20:26.658 --> 20:30.963 through counterterrorism. The one thing we've learned 20:30.963 --> 20:33.265 that if we have the information, 20:33.265 --> 20:35.234 we can operationalize it quickly, 20:35.234 --> 20:37.369 we can share and conflict with our partners, 20:37.369 --> 20:38.470 and we can take action. 20:38.470 --> 20:39.838 But we need the information, 20:39.838 --> 20:41.373 we need to be able to analyze it, 20:41.373 --> 20:44.376 we need to be able to get it to our frontline officers. 20:44.376 --> 20:47.379 That's what we've been perfecting for the last 20 years, 20:47.379 --> 20:49.715 and we can do it in the classified environment, 20:49.715 --> 20:52.417 the unclassified, or the sensitive environment. 20:52.417 --> 20:54.052 And we can get that information 20:54.052 --> 20:56.922 to our agents and officers on the southwest border. 20:56.922 --> 20:59.224 But we really took it one step further, 20:59.224 --> 21:00.726 this time around, 21:00.726 --> 21:02.361 and that's really through creating 21:02.361 --> 21:05.330 the Southwest Border Intelligence Center, 21:05.330 --> 21:07.766 which works very closely with our intelligence 21:07.766 --> 21:08.834 community partners 21:08.834 --> 21:10.469 on the southwest border, 21:10.469 --> 21:12.371 so that we can do the analysis 21:12.371 --> 21:14.306 at the National Targeting Center 21:14.306 --> 21:17.409 and share that information with the Southwest Border 21:17.409 --> 21:18.443 Intelligence Center, 21:18.443 --> 21:20.879 and they can synthesize it and work 21:20.879 --> 21:23.015 with our partners across the southwest border, 21:23.015 --> 21:24.616 and action it with the operators. 21:24.616 --> 21:26.285 So those are the the two things; 21:26.285 --> 21:27.119 we created the fentanyl cell, 21:27.119 --> 21:29.087 at the National Targeting Center, 21:29.087 --> 21:32.457 that's really working with our partners here in D.C. 21:32.457 --> 21:36.228 And then, and the intelligence center in Tucson 21:36.228 --> 21:38.297 that's looking at the southwest border 21:38.297 --> 21:39.031 in particular, 21:39.031 --> 21:40.299 is able to develop things 21:40.299 --> 21:43.769 like Plaza Spike and identify those individuals smuggling 21:43.769 --> 21:45.904 or controlling those plazas, 21:45.904 --> 21:46.838 those networks, 21:46.838 --> 21:49.775 and then work with our investigative partners 21:49.775 --> 21:52.311 and our foreign partners to identify 21:52.311 --> 21:54.313 what actions we're going to take to disrupt. 21:59.951 --> 22:00.919 Oh, absolutely. 22:00.919 --> 22:01.219 Yeah. 22:01.219 --> 22:04.256 I mean, when you're talking about, trade, 22:04.256 --> 22:08.093 if we can't figure out how to share information, 22:08.093 --> 22:09.594 it's our foreign partners, right, 22:09.594 --> 22:12.364 if we identify that precursors 22:12.364 --> 22:15.834 are transiting through Southeast Asia, which we did, 22:15.834 --> 22:17.569 then what are we going to have to do? 22:17.569 --> 22:17.969 Of course, 22:17.969 --> 22:19.404 we want to work with the carriers, 22:19.404 --> 22:21.139 the brokers and the like. 22:21.139 --> 22:23.342 But if it's transiting through a partner country, 22:23.342 --> 22:25.777 why wouldn't we get over to the partner country, 22:25.777 --> 22:27.446 share that information with them, 22:27.446 --> 22:28.880 tell them what we're not, 22:28.880 --> 22:30.115 what we know, 22:30.115 --> 22:33.151 and, talk about some of the technology 22:33.151 --> 22:33.652 we're using, 22:33.652 --> 22:35.287 some of the systems we're using 22:35.287 --> 22:37.522 and help them develop that same capability, 22:37.522 --> 22:38.957 so they can ensure 22:38.957 --> 22:40.692 that those illegitimate goods 22:40.692 --> 22:42.294 are coming to their country, which, 22:42.294 --> 22:44.296 which they certainly want to do. 22:44.296 --> 22:46.331 So, you know, as far as 22:46.331 --> 22:48.500 whether it's terrorism, whether it's narcotics, 22:48.500 --> 22:51.203 whether it's, transnational criminal organizations 22:51.203 --> 22:53.405 moving people, it's all the same. 22:53.405 --> 22:54.039 We want to take 22:54.039 --> 22:56.808 those organizations out is for, far up 22:56.808 --> 22:59.611 the supply chain as we can with our partners, 22:59.611 --> 23:01.513 so it never reaches our border. 23:07.018 --> 23:07.652 Certainly. 23:07.652 --> 23:10.088 So I think, I'd start with the trade. 23:10.088 --> 23:13.825 we do we do have a package that we've put together. 23:13.825 --> 23:17.863 It's called 21 cent, 21st century customs framework. 23:17.863 --> 23:20.298 That's an overarching trade package 23:20.298 --> 23:21.199 that would 23:21.199 --> 23:23.101 update and modernize our trade laws 23:23.101 --> 23:24.469 for the first time in 30 years. 23:24.469 --> 23:27.472 To put it in context, when I started in 1993, 23:27.472 --> 23:30.008 our trade laws have not been modernized. 23:30.008 --> 23:33.178 And when you think about De Minimis and the explosion 23:33.178 --> 23:35.981 from 685 million packages in 2022 23:35.981 --> 23:41.186 to 1 billion in 2023 to 4 million packages a day today, 23:41.553 --> 23:42.854 our laws, are updated 23:42.854 --> 23:45.457 laws, are not equipped to deal with that. 23:45.457 --> 23:46.658 So what we're seeing in the 23:46.658 --> 23:48.960 De Minimis environment in particular, 23:48.960 --> 23:52.130 as we're not getting the fidelity of the data we need, 23:52.130 --> 23:54.599 to determine where the the 23:55.567 --> 23:58.804 material is coming from, where it's going to, 23:58.804 --> 24:00.205 or what's in the package. 24:00.205 --> 24:01.907 And we don't have, 24:01.907 --> 24:03.809 the, the, the laws 24:03.809 --> 24:06.445 we have in place for summary forfeiture. 24:06.445 --> 24:09.181 So if we seize one shirt, 24:09.181 --> 24:11.149 it's the same as seizing one 24:11.149 --> 24:13.251 container, same amount of paperwork. 24:13.251 --> 24:15.320 Imagine that at a mail facility, 24:15.320 --> 24:17.522 express consignment facility. 24:17.522 --> 24:20.058 We don't have the appropriate mechanisms 24:20.058 --> 24:23.428 to share information with our trade partners 24:23.428 --> 24:25.130 so they can help us in that fight. 24:25.130 --> 24:28.266 So those are some additional legislative changes 24:28.266 --> 24:29.968 we need to make. 24:29.968 --> 24:31.136 Additionally, 24:31.136 --> 24:32.571 we need some, 24:32.571 --> 24:35.173 some penalty provisions within our trade laws 24:35.173 --> 24:36.842 so that we can find individuals 24:36.842 --> 24:39.811 appropriately when they are bringing in narcotics, 24:39.811 --> 24:42.781 fentanyl, or parts thereof to make it. 24:42.781 --> 24:44.416 So those are a number of different things 24:44.416 --> 24:46.017 that we need to do in the trade environment. 24:46.017 --> 24:48.220 So you have the overall 21, 24:48.220 --> 24:49.955 21 century customs 24:49.955 --> 24:52.924 framework, and we have the De Minimis package, 24:52.924 --> 24:55.527 the De Minimis package being part of the larger package. 24:55.527 --> 24:58.497 So we need to modernize our trade laws 24:58.497 --> 25:00.499 on the southwest border. 25:00.499 --> 25:05.070 There is a lot of talk about, the national security bill, 25:05.070 --> 25:06.438 the bipartisan bill. 25:06.438 --> 25:09.708 One of the things that that bill did for us 25:09.708 --> 25:12.477 is that it got us the appropriate resources 25:12.477 --> 25:13.445 for the southwest 25:13.445 --> 25:14.012 border, 25:14.012 --> 25:19.451 in particular, gave us enough money to finish, the and, 25:19.451 --> 25:21.319 deploying our NII, large scale 25:21.319 --> 25:24.322 NII, along our southwest border, non-intrusive, 25:24.322 --> 25:26.157 inspection technology. 25:26.157 --> 25:28.660 It got us the officers that we needed, 25:28.660 --> 25:31.530 accounted for a thousand additional officers 25:31.530 --> 25:33.031 for our southwest border. 25:33.031 --> 25:35.834 It helped us, get our information 25:35.834 --> 25:37.969 into a place where we can use it. 25:37.969 --> 25:39.704 The cloud, where it can unlock 25:39.704 --> 25:41.673 that artificial intelligence, machine learning, 25:41.673 --> 25:42.974 give us the security, 25:42.974 --> 25:45.911 everything we need to help our officers 25:45.911 --> 25:48.947 get the information quickly to make informed decisions. 25:48.947 --> 25:50.081 But it also, 25:50.081 --> 25:51.816 we talked about the southwest border a lot, 25:51.816 --> 25:53.518 but it also 25:53.518 --> 25:55.520 gave us money to get additional 25:55.520 --> 25:57.489 non-intrusive inspection technology 25:57.489 --> 26:01.459 for our airports of entry, for our express, for our mail, 26:01.459 --> 26:03.528 so that we can start to 26:03.528 --> 26:07.332 operationalize information at the speed of operations 26:07.332 --> 26:10.502 so our officers and agents can make them form decisions 26:10.502 --> 26:13.305 while trade and travel continues to move. 26:18.944 --> 26:20.512 Non-intrusive inspection 26:20.512 --> 26:22.714 technology is a tool in the toolbox. 26:22.714 --> 26:26.251 It's, something if you put everything together, 26:26.251 --> 26:27.652 it's going to help us, 26:27.652 --> 26:29.854 it’s going to help us really 26:29.854 --> 26:32.324 bring all the pieces together, seize more narcotics, 26:32.324 --> 26:35.794 get more information to our investigative partners, 26:35.794 --> 26:38.330 exploit the networks and go after them. 26:38.330 --> 26:40.932 But I think about non-intrusive inspection technology, 26:40.932 --> 26:42.434 every single day, 26:42.434 --> 26:45.470 I will see a seizure somewhere in the country 26:45.470 --> 26:48.073 where there's an inconclusive, right. 26:48.073 --> 26:50.775 So what that means is there may be something 26:50.775 --> 26:52.611 that may not be something. 26:52.611 --> 26:55.080 So think about, the officer and agent. Right. 26:55.080 --> 26:56.481 So what do they need? 26:56.481 --> 26:59.417 They need the information to make an informed decision. 26:59.417 --> 27:03.622 Maybe a canine, maybe a Gemini. 27:03.622 --> 27:06.558 Right. To identify what that substance is. 27:06.558 --> 27:08.026 Certainly screening 27:08.026 --> 27:13.665 more, containers or more shipments is extremely important, 27:13.665 --> 27:17.068 but I also need artificial intelligence machine learning, 27:17.068 --> 27:20.805 to help me identify any anomalies within that shipment 27:20.805 --> 27:22.974 so I can quickly, 27:22.974 --> 27:24.743 quickly determine whether I'm going to 27:24.743 --> 27:28.847 secondary that shipment, or that that passenger vehicle, 27:28.847 --> 27:29.848 or not. 27:29.848 --> 27:32.584 And, you know, to to take it one step further, 27:32.584 --> 27:34.786 when you're talking a place like San Diego, 27:34.786 --> 27:37.822 we're talking 200,000 people a day, 27:37.822 --> 27:41.493 so there is legitimate trade, there is legitimate travel. 27:41.493 --> 27:44.596 We cannot stop legitimate trade or travel, 27:44.596 --> 27:46.097 but if we do what we've been doing 27:46.097 --> 27:47.999 for the history of this organization, 27:47.999 --> 27:51.670 make informed decisions based on risk analysis, 27:51.670 --> 27:57.208 we can continue to, we continue to move forward 27:57.208 --> 27:58.877 in our fight against fentanyl. 27:58.877 --> 28:00.578 But most importantly, 28:00.578 --> 28:01.579 if we don't 28:01.579 --> 28:02.580 do everything else 28:02.580 --> 28:04.783 we've talked about today, push the border out, 28:04.783 --> 28:08.286 work with our foreign partners, change our laws, 28:08.286 --> 28:09.954 exchange information with the state 28:09.954 --> 28:11.723 and locals, federal partners, 28:11.723 --> 28:15.527 identify those transnational crime organizations, 28:15.527 --> 28:19.264 stop the access right through, operations like, 28:19.264 --> 28:21.199 Plaza Pike, 28:21.199 --> 28:22.667 we're not going to make a difference. 28:22.667 --> 28:24.602 So we need to do all this stuff together, 28:24.602 --> 28:26.304 and we need to keep the fentanyl from ever 28:26.304 --> 28:27.872 reaching our borders in the first place. 28:30.975 --> 28:31.876 Long time. 28:36.881 --> 28:37.415 For me, the 28:37.415 --> 28:40.852 fentanyl crisis is probably the biggest challenge 28:40.852 --> 28:43.121 I faced in my career, 28:43.121 --> 28:47.392 because it is so, multi-dimensional. 28:47.392 --> 28:47.859 Right? 28:47.859 --> 28:51.830 We're talking about, multiple 28:51.830 --> 28:53.965 we were talking about precursors in China. 28:53.965 --> 28:55.767 We're talking about, 28:55.767 --> 29:00.472 Mexico, where, the drugs are being manufactured. 29:00.472 --> 29:03.074 We're talking about pill presses, dyes, 29:03.074 --> 29:04.676 but we're talking about a demand. 29:04.676 --> 29:06.111 We're talking the demand 29:06.111 --> 29:09.214 that we've really never experienced before. 29:09.214 --> 29:10.315 You know, 100,000 29:10.315 --> 29:13.118 overdoses, 100,000 plus overdoses, 29:13.118 --> 29:18.923 70% of those, being from, from opioid, synthetic opioids. 29:19.357 --> 29:21.192 And it's, again, it's 29:21.192 --> 29:22.894 kind of a government approach, 29:22.894 --> 29:26.898 we're going to do our part at the border and beyond, 29:26.898 --> 29:29.267 but we also need to do something about demand. 29:29.267 --> 29:31.069 We need an educational campaign. 29:31.069 --> 29:33.471 We need to continue our educational campaign 29:33.471 --> 29:35.140 to get in schools and, 29:35.140 --> 29:38.977 and, you know, do things like one pill kills and 29:38.977 --> 29:42.313 and really surge our resources at the state level, 29:42.313 --> 29:44.716 the federal level, the national level. 29:44.716 --> 29:47.752 So it's unlike any problem I've ever seen. 29:47.752 --> 29:48.987 We can't seize our way out of it. 29:48.987 --> 29:50.288 We an't seize our way out of it. 29:53.458 --> 29:54.292 First thing I would, 29:54.292 --> 29:56.060 like the public to know 29:56.060 --> 29:59.864 is that the men and women of CBP are up to the task. 29:59.864 --> 30:02.233 This is what they hired on to do. 30:02.233 --> 30:04.469 If we can give them, as I said before, 30:04.469 --> 30:05.970 the tools, the resources, 30:05.970 --> 30:07.372 the information, 30:07.372 --> 30:08.740 to fight fentanyl 30:08.740 --> 30:09.541 they're going to 30:09.541 --> 30:12.076 and they're going to be the best at the world to doing it. 30:12.076 --> 30:13.545 But they do need the resources. 30:13.545 --> 30:14.913 They do need the tools. 30:14.913 --> 30:17.048 you know, things like, 30:17.048 --> 30:20.318 additional officers at the southwest border, 30:20.318 --> 30:21.986 intelligence information, 30:21.986 --> 30:24.422 getting modernizing our enforcement systems, 30:24.422 --> 30:26.958 getting the information up into the cloud. 30:26.958 --> 30:30.261 But, new laws. So, you know, we need to. 30:30.261 --> 30:33.164 And all these are things that our officers and agents need. 30:33.164 --> 30:34.098 They need the tools. 30:34.098 --> 30:35.733 They need the resources. 30:35.733 --> 30:39.437 They need to modernize to laws, rules, regulations, 30:39.437 --> 30:41.139 to to do the job. 30:41.139 --> 30:43.808 They're going to go out there and do it every single day. 30:43.808 --> 30:45.910 I have utmost confidence 30:45.910 --> 30:48.613 that they will continue to do that. 30:48.613 --> 30:49.948 But we, 30:49.948 --> 30:51.549 we that's my job to get them 30:51.549 --> 30:53.218 the resources that they need to do it. 30:56.054 --> 30:57.522 Thank you for what you're doing. 30:57.522 --> 30:59.891 you do a great job every single day, 30:59.891 --> 31:02.961 and I'm gonna continue the fight up here to get 31:02.961 --> 31:03.995 you what you need to do. It