“A bill to establish the Joint Task Force to Counter the Illicit Synthetic Narcotics.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings on the U.S. substance abuse and addiction crisis, including that it causes hundreds of thousands of deaths annually (most involving opioids), that multiple levels of government are combating it, and that no central entity exists for interagency information sharing and coordination.
This section defines terms for purposes of the Act: (1) "controlled substance" and "listed chemical" as having the meanings given in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802); (2) "Director" as the Director of the JTF–ISN; (3) "illicit synthetic narcotic" as a controlled substance (excluding substances of natural origin or lawful medications for which the Drug Enforcement Administration has issued an import permit), a listed chemical, or an active pharmaceutical ingredient or chemical used in producing such substances or chemicals; and (4) "JTF–ISN" as the Joint Task Force to Counter Illicit Synthetic Narcotics established under section 4.
This section establishes a Joint Task Force to Counter Illicit Synthetic Narcotics (JTF-ISN) composed of representatives from the Departments of Justice (including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and assistant U.S. attorneys and trial attorneys), Treasury (including the Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Office of Foreign Assets Control, and Office of Intelligence and Analysis), Homeland Security (including Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection National Targeting Center, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Coast Guard), State, Commerce, Defense, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and other agencies as deemed appropriate by the Director. The JTF-ISN is led by a Director appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, compensated at the rate of basic pay for level II of the Executive Schedule under 5 U.S.C. 5313 (i.e., same as Deputy Secretaries and other senior positions such as the Deputy Secretary of Defense), who reports to the Attorney General. Not later than 180 days after enactment and every 180 days thereafter, the Director must submit reports—or provide briefings upon request—to the Senate and House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees on (1) a two-year comprehensive plan including goals, agency collaboration improvements, and estimated funding and staffing needs; (2) annual budget priorities; (3) investigation and prosecution efforts including raids, seizures, forfeitures, indictments, and convictions; and (4) efforts addressing the People's Republic of China's role in the opioids crisis.
This section establishes the primary mission of the Joint Task Force–International Synthetic Narcotics (JTF–ISN) as directing counter-opioid and synthetic narcotics activities—including disruption activities and associated investigations—and providing strategic coordination on related activities, including sanctions enforcement, joint operations, raids, and other tactical actions conducted in coordination with federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies through memoranda of understanding, such as legal actions against traffickers and foreign entities, particularly in the People's Republic of China, complicit in the opioid trade.
This section vests the Joint Task Force–Illicit Synthetic Narcotics (JTF–ISN) with authority to— (1) investigate and prosecute violations of federal law relating to trafficking of illicit synthetic narcotics and related offenses such as money laundering, smuggling, and false statements; (2) for prosecutions relating to non-United States persons outside the United States, bring cases in the district where the crime was committed, the district where the Drug Enforcement Administration is located, or a district described in 18 U.S.C. 3238 (i.e., venue for offenses begun or committed upon the high seas or outside the jurisdiction of any particular state or district); (3) facilitate timely information sharing among members; (4) establish protocols for interagency referrals and case referrals to prosecuting and sanctions authorities; (5) develop strategies addressing the People's Republic of China's role in the illicit synthetic narcotics crisis; (6) work cooperatively with state, territorial, tribal, and local law enforcement; (7) assess and improve methods of investigating and prosecuting such crimes; and (8) conduct direct operational activities, including joint operations, raids, and tactical actions, to disrupt trafficking networks. The section also limits the Director from directing operational activities outside counter-opioid efforts related to illicit synthetic narcotics suppliers and their networks pursuant to the JTF–ISN's primary missions.
This section directs the Director of the Joint Task Force–Illicit Synthetic Narcotics (JTF–ISN) to establish and maintain four internal elements: (1) an intelligence coordination element with primary responsibility for government-wide analysis of illicit synthetic narcotics and related trafficking organizations using all intelligence sources; (2) a strategic operational planning element to develop plans for U.S. counter-opioid operations—including missions, objectives, tasks, interagency coordination, and roles—and to monitor their implementation across relevant government entities; (3) an Office of General Counsel to provide legal advice supporting JTF–ISN and its directorates; and (4) an Office of Congressional Coordination to manage communications with Congress and ensure compliance with reporting and briefing requirements under the Act.
This section provides a rule of construction clarifying that nothing in this Act authorizes the JTF–ISN to investigate, target, or prosecute individuals for personal drug use or to pursue enforcement actions against low-level drug dealing that does not involve significant connections to larger trafficking networks.