The fentanyl crisis is a major concern for the US government, which is now enlisting the help of freight forwarders to prevent illegal shipments of the drug from entering the country. There are fears among forwarders that this could lead to 100% screening of shipments, causing chaos in the air cargo supply chain.
Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association, highlighted the severity of the crisis, with over 100,000 deaths attributed to illicit fentanyl-type drugs in the US last year. He emphasized the need for the US to address this issue and mentioned that the White House is considering intermediaries like freight forwarders as potential allies in the fight against illicit fentanyl trafficking.
While fentanyl itself is a major concern, the shipment of pill presses and chemicals used to make the drug is also a worry. Forwarders, however, do not have complete visibility into every shipment, relying on information provided about package contents.
One proposed solution is the use of sniffer dogs to detect illicit substances, similar to how they are used to find explosives. Fried stressed the importance of investing in technology to aid in detection, as well as the need for enhanced law enforcement efforts and education on red flags for suspicious shipments.
It is crucial to train stakeholders to recognize and report unusual or suspicious activity, while also resisting calls for 100% physical inspection of packages. Such an approach would disrupt legitimate trade and harm the global economy.
