WASHINGTON – Congressman
Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY18) Thursday asked the Drug Enforcement Administration
to focus its efforts on the Hudson Valley in addition to Long Island with
the addition of six new drug enforcement teams to stop the flow of heroin
and fentanyl.
“We have to crack down on heroin and fentanyl traffickers with every
weapon in our arsenal – and that should include a top-notch enforcement
team,” Maloney said. “These guys are the real deal and communities
across the Hudson Valley could use all the help we can get from the DEA.”
According to the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services,
Orange and Dutchess counties both have proportionally higher rates of
opioid-related deaths per capita than Long Island.
Maloney also noted that the Hudson Valley is situated at a crossroads
of highways that makes it an ideal location for trafficking narcotics.
The congressman wrote to DEA Administrator Robert Patterson that, “While
I fully understand all of the factors that went into determining where
your enforcement teams are stationed, I respectfully ask that your Long
Island task force extend its jurisdiction to include the Hudson Valley.”
