Today Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02), the founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, and Congressman Richard Neal (MA-01) hosted a briefing by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for New England Congressional Members on the agency’s efforts to interdict illegal narcotics in the Northeast.

The Members were joined by Michael Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA for the New England Division. Ferguson briefed the members on how the agency is coordinating at the local level to stem the flow of dangerous drugs such as heroin and synthetic opioids including fentanyl. New Hampshire has lost the greatest proportion of its citizens to fentanyl overdoses compared to other states in the country.

"New Hampshire is being devastated by deadly opioid drugs such as fentanyl and carfentanil," said Congresswoman Kuster. "I appreciate the opportunity to discuss efforts to get these dangerous synthetic opioids off the streets in New Hampshire and throughout New England. We know that law enforcement is a critical part of addressing the opioid epidemic, coupled with increased prevention, access to treatment and recovery services. In recent years, the DEA has taken important steps to help combat this crisis by working more closely with healthcare providers and community leaders; the task at hand for the DEA now is to coordinate more with local law enforcement to help reduce the public health impact of addiction and overdose.”

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