Pappas Introduces Two Bipartisan Bills to Combat Drug Trafficking
This week Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) introduced two pieces of legislation to combat drug trafficking: the Laboratory Analysts and Biometric (LAB) Personnel Act and the Dark Web Interdiction Act.
"I’ve heard directly from local law enforcement, public health experts, and advocates across New Hampshire that we must do more to stop the trafficking of fentanyl and other deadly substances," said Congressman Pappas. “I’m introducing two bills based on conversations I’ve had with New Hampshire law enforcement. The first aims to target the use of the dark web to procure and ship deadly drugs. The second would exempt DEA labs from the administration's hiring freeze which hurts the New Hampshire lab's ability to analyze evidence and combat drug trafficking. We must strengthen efforts that hold traffickers accountable and stop the flow of drugs into our communities.”
Pappas introduced the Laboratory Analysts and Biometric (LAB) Personnel Act with Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02), bipartisan legislation to exempt Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) lab personnel from the Trump Administration’s federal hiring freeze or any workforce reductions related to spending cuts, reprogramming of funds, or the probationary status of employees, as their roles are critical to combating drug trafficking and keeping communities safe. This legislation follows Pappas’s visit to the DEA Lab in Bedford, which currently employs five chemists and fingerprint analysts who work with law enforcement throughout the region.
The DEA’s Labs across the country play a vital role in safeguarding our communities by employing cutting-edge scientific techniques to identify and analyze dangerous synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, methamphetamine, xylazine, and other novel psychoactive substances. The New England Lab, scheduled to open in April 2026, will be the eighth regional DEA laboratory in the nation and will specialize in both drug chemistry and latent fingerprint identification. Their detailed analysis is essential for identifying emerging threats, supporting investigations and prosecutions, informing public safety and health strategies, and contributing to international efforts.
“Laboratory personnel like forensic chemists and fingerprint analysts are essential to solving drug crimes and getting dangerous substances off our street, yet they were excluded from the DEA hiring freeze exemption,” said Congressman Bacon. “I'm pleased to co-lead the Laboratory Analysts and Biometric Personnel Act with Rep. Pappas to ensure our DEA laboratories have the critical personnel they need to fight drug trafficking in our communities. Our bipartisan legislation will fix this bureaucratic oversight and give law enforcement the tools needed to protect our families from the ongoing drug crisis.”
Pappas reintroduced the Dark Web Interdiction Act with Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23), bipartisan, bicameral legislation to strengthen penalties on drug dealers and target international fentanyl trafficking through the dark web.
The Dark Web Interdiction Act would increase criminal penalties on individuals convicted of trafficking illegal drugs on the dark web by directing the United States Sentencing Commission to enhance sentencing for those individuals; strengthen and make permanent the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) task force that leads coordinated international, federal, state, and local efforts to combat drug trafficking on the dark web. Since its creation in 2018, J-CODE has led to hundreds of arrests worldwide, seizures of thousands of pounds of narcotics, and the closure of several dark web marketplaces; and directs the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Treasury Department to issue a report to Congress within one year detailing the use of cryptocurrency on the dark web, as well as provide recommendations for how Congress can address the use of virtual currency for opioid trafficking on the dark web.
“The Dark Web Interdiction Act would give law enforcement officers the resources they need to help combat the rising trend of dark web drug dealers who have used the platform as a way to peddle illegal drugs across the United States. I look forward to co-leading this bipartisan effort once again to help law enforcement apprehend and convict contraband dealers across the dark web,” said Congressman Gonzales.
Background:
Pappas led the effort in Congress to permanently classify all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs so law enforcement can keep them off the streets and hold traffickers accountable, and helped pass the HALT Fentanyl Act earlier this year. He also leads the DISPOSE Act, which would create fentanyl and precursor chemical destruction facilities in three critical drug trafficking choke points: Mexico, Colombia, and Peru; it was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2025. Pappas also leads the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act, which has passed the House, and the OPIOIDS Act.
After Pappas heard about DEA lab personnel being impacted by the administration’s hiring freeze during his visit to the DEA Lab in Bedford, he led the New Hampshire delegation in a letter urging the Office of Management and Budget to exempt DEA lab personnel from the federal hiring freeze.
Pappas introduced the Dark Web Interdiction Act in the 117th and 118th Congresses. It is a companion to a Senate bill led by Senator Maggie Hassan (NH) and Senator John Cornyn (TX).