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Law mandates Customs’ conduct K-9 unit searches
A new law now mandates Division of Customs personnel to conduct K-9 unit drug detections on all interisland flights and seaport entries in the CNMI.
Senate Bill 19-110, authored by Sen. Steve K. Mesngon (R-Rota), is now Public Law 19-86.
“The Division of Customs shall extend K-9 unit screenings for the purpose of detecting illegal drugs and other contrabands at all seaports and airports within the Commonwealth, including all interisland outgoing and incoming commuter flights as well as incoming and outgoing water crafts,” state part of the new law.
The bill was introduced in the 19th Legislature and referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Government, and Law. It passed the Senate on Dec. 2 and the House of Representatives, without amendments, on Dec. 28.
The CNMI government has formed an anti-drug task force, where Customs and the Department of Public Safety are members, to combat the prevalent drug use—like methamphetamine or more commonly known as “ice”—in the CNMI.
All CNMI enforcement agencies are working in collaboration in the government’s war on drugs campaign, in the hopes of eradicating “ice” and other illegal drugs in the Commonwealth.
Mesngon, on PL 19-86, said the best way to battle drugs is to prevent its entry to the CNMI. “An effective strategy to tackle drugs at the port of entries is to also conduct drug detections with the use of K-9 units.”
Customs currently use K-9 units to protect the borders but it is done only on Saipan. PL 19-86 would expand the use of K-9 units on Rota and Tinian’s ports of entries for drug detection.
“The use of K-9 units to conduct drug detection on Rota and Tinian would deter the smuggling of drugs using interisland commuter routes. The Legislature believes the ice epidemic is not just a problem occurring on Saipan but also greatly affecting the communities of Rota and Tinian,” Mesngon wrote in the bill.
“The Legislature finds that in order to deter smuggling of drugs into our borders, it is necessary to conduct drug detection screenings through the use of K-9s at all points of entries in the Commonwealth,” he added.
