Tammy Baldwin reintroduces legislation to clamp down on drugs sent through mail from foreign countries

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said Thursday they're reintroducing a bill to target illegal drugs sent through the mail from foreign countries to the United States.

The Search Now, Inspect for Fentanyl (SNIFF) Act would give U.S. postal workers at five U.S. International Service Centers the ability "to search mail from foreign countries destined for the U.S. when there is probable cause to believe they contain illicit opioids such as fentanyl or other illegal drugs."

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is used as a pain medication with a doctor's prescription. But it is also made illegally and China has been identified as a primary source for the drug that enters the United States, often through the U.S. Postal system.

The Chinese government recently announced it is adding fentanyl-related substances to a list of controlled narcotic drugs.

"Right now, illicit drugs, like fentanyl, meth and illegal opioids, are being mailed into America from other countries," Baldwin said in a statement. "We need stronger tools to stop this and our bipartisan legislation will help prevent the flow of these drugs, like fentanyl being shipped from China."

Baldwin said that Wisconsin "has seen a spike in fentanyl-related overdose deaths and in Milwaukee County alone, we had 188 confirmed fentanyl-related overdose deaths in 2018. We must take action and do more to stop illegal, foreign fentanyl from entering our country through International Service Centers."

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According to a news release, the legislation would apply only to mail from foreign countries addressed to the U.S. A search could only be conducted by specially trained employees after probable cause is established.

Regular post offices and domestic carriers would not have the authority to search mail. Under the legislation, the searches can only be conducted at International Service Centers in New York, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.