Interdicting Illicit Drug Trafficking: A View from the Front Lines

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced the committee will hold a hearing titled “Interdicting Illicit Drug Trafficking: A View from the Front Lines” on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 11:00 AM EST. The hearing will examine federal counter-drug efforts at the tactical, strategic, and personal level. It will also highlight the additional resources needed by the U.S. Coast Guard to degrade transnational criminal organizations, exploit intelligence gained from interdictions to aggressively prosecute cartel leadership, and advance President Trump’s policy for the total elimination of these organizations’ presence in the United States.

Witnesses:

Panel 1:

Jena Ehlinger, Mother of Jake Ehlinger of Texas, a victim of fentanyl poisoning

Kevin Hall, Chief of the Spokane Police Department

Panel 2:

Shannon Kelly, Assistant Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy, U.S. Interdiction Coordinator, and Director, National High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HITDA) Program

Rear Adm. Adam Chamie, Assistant Commandant for Response Policy, U.S. Coast Guard

Jonathan Miller, Executive Assistant Commissioner, Air and Marine Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)