Congress of the United States ‘Washington, DE 20515 June 12, 2018 Kemp Chester ‘Acting Director Executive Office of the President Office of National Drug Control Policy 750 Seventeenth Street, NW Washington, DC 20503 Re: Atlantic County Philadelphia/Camden HIDTA Expansion Dear Acting Director Chester: We write in strong support of the application submitted hy the Philadelphia/Camden High- Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (PCHIDTA) to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to expand the PCHIDTA by designating Atlantic County a PCHIDTA county. IF approved, this designation will allow the PCHIDTA to better coordinate its law enforcement efforts, identify and dicmantle large-scale criminal organizations, and improve the safety and security of Atlantic County and New Jersey's residents. We also respectfully request that ONDCP allocate robust funding to the PCHIDTA to efficiently combat the rise in opioid use and disrupt drug distribution in Atlantic County. We hope you will give this proposal full aud fait consideration. ‘As you know, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) first began encountering illicit tenianyl domestically in the 1990s.’ With the advent of the heroin and prescription upivid abuse ‘epidemic, the usage and prevalence of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs have cantintied to grow at a considerable rate.” Moreover, law enforcement agencies have continued to monitor the sharp rise in overdose deaths from prescription opioids, heroin, and synthetic opioids throughout the Northeast, including New Jersey.’ It is evident that our nation’s dependence on opioids continues to be a top priority of law enforcement, and counties like Atlantic County continue to see the consolidation of drug trafficking organizations as families are torn apart due to drug usage. In New Jersey, the opioid statistics are staggering, In a five-year period, from 2011 to 2015, New Jersey lost over 3,500 people to heroin-related drug overdoses. There were also over 27,000 substance abuse treatment admissions for heroin in 2015, Law enforcement reports have identified Atlantic County as among the five counties with the highest incidences of opioid treatment admissions in 2014 in New Jersey. According to the DEA, between January 2016 and June 2017, Pennsylvania and New Jersey are among the states where the significant seizures of fentanyl of more than | kilogram are located.* ‘us. Bd. Bad * Available at: hups:/hvww.dea gov/druginfo! MAP-SignificantFentanylSeizures pdf epartment of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Fentanyl: A Briefing Guide for First Responders PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPERExpanding the PCHIDTA to encompass Atlantic County ‘ically expedient given that Philadelphia has been recognized as a source city for large-scale narcotics flowing into Atlantic County. In addition, the increase in fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses coupled with the consequent violence has placed a heavy burden on Atlantic County's law enforcement agencies. ‘Atlantic County ig aleo home to one of New Jersey’s major cities and regional tourist destination, ‘Atlantic City. Atlantic City and destinations along the Jersey Shore often attract visitors from across the region, country, and the world. By designating Atlantic County a PCHIDTA county, the PCHIDTA will better assess the distribution and use of heroin and fentanyl throughout the county and state, and more effectively coordinate efforts to address the epidemic through enhancements in intelligence sharing among the existing PCHIDTA counties. This designation will better equip Atlantic County to target dug trafficking organizations and improve the quality of life for residents and visitors to the Atlantic County region, We appreciate your review and due consideration of the request submitted by the PCHIDTA in regard to the inclusion of Alantic County. Sincerely, Cary A. Booker Robert Meneydez Donald Noreross (NJ-1) United States Senator United States Senator Member of Congress CC: Kayla M. Tonnessen, Associate Director of Legislative Affairs, Office of National Drug Control Policy Jeremiah A. Daley, Executive Director, Philadelphia/Camden High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area ee