Inside NOVA: Spanberger, Fong lead bipartisan effort to combat illicit tranq

INSIDE NOVA

U.S. Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and Vince Fong (R-CA-20) introduced bipartisan legislation that would require the U.S. Department of State to include county-by-county reporting of xylazine, also known as “tranq,” in its annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), which tracks federal efforts to counter international drug trafficking.

Recently, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported that approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized in 2022 contained xylazine — an easily accessible veterinary tranquilizer that is being used as a cheap cutting agent in illicit drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. 

The effects of tranq are devastating, with more than 3,000 overdose deaths linked to the drug in 2021. Tranq has especially affected the Southern United States, which saw a 200% increase in the drug’s presence from 2020 to 2021 — the largest increase in the country. Because xylazine is not an opioid, reversal medications like naloxone, or Narcan, cannot reverse its effects — making fentanyl-mixed xylazine even more deadly. In 2023, the Biden Administration designated fentanyl-mixed xylazine as an “emerging threat.”

The Strengthening Tracking of Poisonous Tranq Requiring Analyzed National Quantification (STOP TRANQ) Act would add a statutory requirement for the State Department to include reporting on tranq in its INCSR. While the report currently tracks illicit drugs like fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin, as well as the illicit trafficking of common pharmaceuticals like pseudoepinephrine, or Sudafed, the report omits xylazine and classifies the substance as a “drug cutting agent.” Requiring the State Department to actively report on this emerging threat would help the United States better counter and respond to trends contributing to America’s drug crisis, understand the role of foreign entities in manufacturing and trafficking illicit tranq, and hold bad actors accountable.

“Tranq is killing Virginians in our communities and Americans across our country. But right now, our country is ill-equipped to counter the influx of xylazine and fentanyl in our communities,” said Spanberger. “As a former federal agent and CIA case officer who worked narcotics cases and tracked cartels, I believe that Congress must provide our federal, state, and local law enforcement officers with every tool available to combat the deadly drugs flowing into our communities. As drug overdose deaths are increasingly involving xylazine, this bipartisan legislation would help law enforcement crack down on its proliferation in our communities and stop the predators who are killing our neighbors.”

“Tranq is a growing drug threat to all Americans and must be taken seriously as a deadly drug coming into our country,” said Fong. “There are drugs on the streets that are killing people in our local communities especially fentanyl and the growing rise of xylazine, and we should know the trafficking patterns from other countries so that we can stop the flow of these drugs from further harming Americans. It is critical that we combat this lethal drug crisis head on and support our law enforcement and prosecutors in going after those who wish us harm.”

The bipartisan, bicameral STOP TRANQ Act is supported by the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association and the multiple Virginia police chiefs and sheriffs, including from the Prince William County Police Department, Culpeper Police Department and Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.

“This legislation would provide the information and tools necessary to help law enforcement officers tackle the growing threat of tranq — and other dangerous drugs — with greater precision and effectiveness,” said Culpeper Police Department Chief Chris Settle. “The men and women of the Culpeper Police Department are dedicated to combating the drug crisis, and I appreciate Congresswoman Spanberger taking the lead on this bipartisan bill that would protect our communities, enhance public safety and save lives.”

Companion legislation is led in the U.S. Senate by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Tim Kaine (D-VA).