02.26.25

Spokane Police Chief Joins Cantwell for Hearing on Fentanyl Trafficking on U.S. Transportation Networks

Cantwell bill to help law enforcement detect more fentanyl traffickers has been endorsed by Seattle, King Co., Vancouver, Spokane, and Spokane Co. Police Departments; SPD Chief: “Any tool will help us down this road, whether it's x-ray technology, vapor technology [or] canine technology”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, invited Spokane Chief of Police Kevin Hall to participate in a Commerce Committee hearing titled, “Interdicting Illicit Drug Trafficking: A View from the Front Lines.”

During the hearing, Sen. Cantwell discussed how her legislation, the Stop Smuggling Illicit Synthetic Drugs on U.S. Transportation Networks Act, could boost law enforcement’s ability to detect fentanyl being smuggled via commercial aircraft, railroads, vehicles, and ships.

In his opening remarks, Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall explained how cartels utilize U.S. transportation networks to traffic fentanyl across state lines: “Recent seizures highlight the scale of trafficking along transportation routes,” said Chief Hall. “[The] Spokane supply chain follows similar patterns, moving drugs from Mexico along interstates, I-19, I-10 and I-5, before reaching Eastern Washington via I-90. Spokane officers have recently encountered bulk powder fentanyl, an emerging and highly dangerous trend.”  

“The supply chain is clear: the Chinese Triad sells precursor chemicals to Mexican drug cartels, hidden on ships and in air cargoes, and cartels make fentanyl and smuggle it through the United States,” said Sen. Cantwell. “They hide fentanyl and personal vehicles, commercial trucks, buses, trains, planes and even on unmanned aerial vehicles. So, this is a danger to our national security and our transportation security. It is very highly toxic.”

During the hearing, Chief Hall – who previously served 32 years for the Tucson Police Department, about an hour’s drive from the Southern border -- described the elaborate methods used by cartels to smuggle fentanyl pills into the country: “The investment by the cartels -- and make no mistake, this is all cartel driven -- is such that they will completely disassemble a vehicle, a brand new vehicle, put as much narcotics into every single void inside that vehicle, and then assemble it again. They will go through that amount of energy, put the vehicle back together, and put it on the road and it's off on the freeways.”

That was the case in a pair of busts led by the Tucson Police Department in October and November of 2024, when 1.7 million pills were discovered stashed away in vehicles just north of the border: “Two nondescript sedans that had to be completely disassembled in order to recover all of those narcotics,” Chief Hall said.

“This is why I want us to have a more collaborative effort here. . . . they’re tearing cars apart, and so, what do you think a new vapor technology could help us do?” Sen. Cantwell asked.

“Any tool will help us down this road, whether it's x-ray technology, vapor technology, even going to like, I call old school, canine technology. They're all very effective in different ways,” said Chief Hall.

In September 2024, Sen. Cantwell introduced the Stop Smuggling Illicit Synthetic Drugs on U.S. Transportation Networks Act. This bill would create first-ever inspection strategies to stop drug smuggling by commercial aircraft, railroads, vehicles, and ships. The legislation would boost local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement resources, increase inspections at ports of entry, and deploy next generation non-intrusive detection technologies – similar to handheld security wands that can detect traces of illicit substances in vehicles or on persons during inspections.

Sen. Cantwell held a press conference with Spokane Police Chief Hall and Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels on this legislation at Spokane Fire Station 1 this past October. Photos from that press conference are available HERE.

Sen. Cantwell’s bill aims to support law enforcement in stemming the flow of fentanyl into our communities. The bill would supply more resources to carry out actions like the major bust at SeaTac Airport and the University District neighborhood completed by the Seattle office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) last fall, or the bust led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and others that prevented more than 100 pounds of illegal drugs from being trafficked across the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in April 2023.

At today’s hearing, Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX) committed to working with Sen. Cantwell on legislation to stop illicit fentanyl smuggling in the United States.

“Intercepting illicit drugs like fentanyl at airports is challenging, but we’re grateful to be working with partners at all levels to combat drugs being imported into our communities,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Toshiko Hasegawa. “Many of these drugs are in checked bags and go through a screening process, but the struggle lies in bridging the gap between technology and legal restrictions. The POSPD drug interdiction unit, alongside our drug detection canines, are successfully seizing large quantities of fentanyl pills and other substances and remain committed to making our communities and the airport safer.”

Sen. Cantwell has pursued multiple paths to addressing the fentanyl crisis, including holding a statewide listening tour to hear directly from people on the front lines of the fentanyl crisis; urging committees of jurisdiction to convene hearings and consider legislative solutions; voting for new laws to provide funding and tools to confront the crisis; and securing funding specifically for Washington state to respond to the crisis.

Among other measures to fight fentanyl trafficking, last year Sen. Cantwell voted for $1.69 billion in new federal funding to combat fentanyl and other illicit drugs coming into the United States, including an additional $385.2 million to increase security at U.S. ports of entry, with the goal of catching more illegal drugs like fentanyl before they make it across the border.  That funding included critical resources for Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) technology at land and seaports of entries. NII technologies—like large-scale X-ray and Gamma ray imaging systems, as well as a variety of portable and handheld technologies—allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection to help detect and prevent contraband from being smuggled into the country without disrupting flow at the border. 

A background document on Sen. Cantwell’s legislative track record and advocacy to combat the fentanyl crisis is available HERE.

Video of Chief Hall’s full opening remarks is HERE and a transcript is HERE. Video of Sen. Cantwell’s opening remarks is HERE; video of their Q&A is HERE; and a transcript is HERE.

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