GAO: DHS' Efforts to Combat Fentanyl Trafficking 'Limited,' More Effective Data Collection Needed
A GAO report suggests that DHS' efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking have been "limited," despite an as-yet-unfulfilled requirement in a law passed by Congress in 2023 for DHS to develop a program to collect data and establish measures and performance goals for its anti-fentanyl efforts.
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"DHS analyzes and reports data on its efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking, but its ability to fully assess the effectiveness of its efforts is limited. This is because it has not established a statutorily required program and incorporated key performance management practices," said the GAO report released on Sept. 2. "Specifically, DHS has not established a program to collect data and develop measures to assess the effectiveness of efforts to combat the trafficking of illicit fentanyl, including synthetic opioids with chemical structures related to fentanyl (analogues) and precursor chemicals, into the U.S., as required by law."
Currently, CBP and ICE's Homeland Security Investigations have been working together to address fentanyl trafficking, with almost 460,000 pounds of fentanyl and chemicals used to make fentanyl seized between fiscal years 2021 and 2024, according to the report.
The report found that during this time, the majority of fentanyl -- about 63% -- and most fentanyl precursor chemicals and production equipment -- 88% and 85%, respectively -- were seized at ports of entry, particularly along the Southwest border. HSI, meanwhile, is charged with investigating bad actors and transnational criminal organizations and conducting special operations to disrupt fentanyl-related supply chains.
But while DHS’s Office of Homeland Security Statistics and CBP publish data related to fentanyl seizures, DHS hasn't established a program to collect data and develop measures to assess the effectiveness of efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking, the report said. While DHS has charged CBP with developing such a program, CBP officials said in October 2024 that CBP shouldn't be responsible for establishing the program because it doesn't have visibility into the measures of other relevant agencies, such as HSI, or access to other agencies' data, the report continued.
"DHS’s Office of Homeland Security Statistics currently analyzes and reports data on four measures related to DHS fentanyl disruption operations. While these measures are helpful for understanding DHS’s efforts, their usefulness for assessing effectiveness is limited because the measures do not reflect indicators that CBP and HSI officials told us are helpful for understanding effectiveness," the report said. "For example, CBP and HSI officials told us that overdose deaths, street price, and disruptions and dismantlements of transnational criminal organizations are helpful for understanding the effectiveness of efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking."
Meanwhile, officials from DHS’s Office of Homeland Security Statistics told GAO that it shouldn't be the office responsible for establishing the data and measures program.
As a result, DHS, CBP and HSI need to establish an interagency effort to create the program, the report said.