Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Over 85 percent of fentanyl seizures at San Diego border

Sempra greases palms of local chamber, convention bureau, San Diego Taxpayers Association

Over 85 percent of total fentanyl seizures happened at San Diego border crossings.
Over 85 percent of total fentanyl seizures happened at San Diego border crossings.

Border Patrol’s fentanyl follies

The U. S. Border Patrol is sitting on a vast horde of deadly illegal drugs collected over two decades, creating significant risks to the safety and security of the agency’s sprawling network of border storage vaults. So says a March 26 audit by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General. “Each year, [Customs and Border Protection] seizes hundreds of thousands of pounds of illegal drugs entering the United States and stores them in one of its 62 permanent seizure vaults,” says the document. “Between fiscal years 2014 and 2019, marijuana seizures decreased while seizures for more toxic and hazardous drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamines, and fentanyl increased.”

David Doniger, program director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, questions the motives of the Sempra-backed American Petroleum Institute.

In a July 2019 report, auditors blasted Customs and Border Protection for “failure to protect its employees from possible fentanyl exposure.” Though not explicitly mentioned in that review, over 85 percent of total fentanyl seizures happened at San Diego border crossings. “In the report, we noted that as little as two milligrams of fentanyl could kill an individual,” In the public version of the new report, the Inspector-General redacted Border Patrol and Customs checkpoints’ names and vault locations where auditors monitored seizure operations. Before its release late last month, the entire report had been labeled Law Enforcement Sensitive. Despite the growing risks, Customs and Border Protection continues to stockpile dangerous drugs negligently, endangering workers and increasing costs. “In some instances, [Customs and Border Protection] stored excess drugs for more than 20 years,” per the document. “According to 1,184 case files we reviewed, between FYs 1984 and 2013, CBP’s Office of Field Operations stored almost 13,000 pounds of drugs exceeding established threshold amounts in its vaults instead of destroying them.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Auditors reported that they discovered the agency “routinely circumvented its drug destruction process,” increasing “the risk of accidents, theft, and harmful drug exposure.” Customs and Border Protection is also vulnerable to “additional personnel costs necessary to manage the excess stored drugs.”

The federal agency vowed to make changes proposed by the audit. But a January 4 memo from official Henry A. Moak, Jr., said the draft document did “not sufficiently recognize challenges” facing the agency. Among them he listed “budget constraints,” “destruction facilities schedule/operations,” and “staffing shortages.”

Big Daddy Sempra

Sempra Energy, whose subsidiary San Diego Gas & Electric is lobbying for a favorable extension to its exclusive city energy franchise, is a mainstay of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Per an online accounting posted by the utility giant, Sempra backed the chamber, a staunch SDG&E advocate, with a total of $222,900 in 2020 membership fees. That put the San Diego chamber at number three on Sempra’s 2020 business membership list, under first place Chamber of Commerce of the United States at $1,020,000, and second-place holder Business Roundtable, with $600,000. In the fourth position was the American Petroleum Institute, at $200,000. The oil and gas industry’s largest trade group has historically opposed limits on carbon fuels to limit climate change. In early April, it agreed to support setting a price on carbon emissions in the post-Donald Trump era.

A petition to recall Councilmember Jen Campbell has reached 5000 signatures.

Many anti-carbon advocates are skeptical. “This is an effort to get to the table, rather than be overlooked and run roughshod, but it’s not very definite yet. I don’t know what they’re offering to really support,” David Doniger, climate and clean energy program director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told CNBC.com. Other local business interests supported by Sempra include Economic Development Corporation - San Diego County ($87,500), San Diego Convention and Tourist Bureau ($40,000), San Diego North Economic Development Council ($37,500), Downtown San Diego Partnership ($35,000), San Diego Athena ($35,000), San Diego County Taxpayers Association ($33,500), San Diego Port Tenants Association ($30,104), and the East County Economic Development Council ($28,000)... As the effort to recall San Diego city council Democrat Jen Campbell announces it has already gathered 5000 signatures, a significant player in the so-called short-term rental market says it spent $6548 lobbying against a restrictive city ordinance. Airbnb, Inc. of San Rafael disclosed in an April 1 lobbying report filed by company attorney Joel Aurora, says the expenditure came in the final quarter of last year.

— Matt Potter

(@sdmattpotter)

The Reader offers $25 for news tips published in this column. Call our voice mail at 619-235-3000, ext. 440, or sandiegoreader.com/staff/matt-potter/contact/.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

At 4pm, this Farmer's Table restaurant in Chula Vista becomes Acqua e Farina

Brunch restaurant by day, Roman style trattoria by night
Over 85 percent of total fentanyl seizures happened at San Diego border crossings.
Over 85 percent of total fentanyl seizures happened at San Diego border crossings.

Border Patrol’s fentanyl follies

The U. S. Border Patrol is sitting on a vast horde of deadly illegal drugs collected over two decades, creating significant risks to the safety and security of the agency’s sprawling network of border storage vaults. So says a March 26 audit by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General. “Each year, [Customs and Border Protection] seizes hundreds of thousands of pounds of illegal drugs entering the United States and stores them in one of its 62 permanent seizure vaults,” says the document. “Between fiscal years 2014 and 2019, marijuana seizures decreased while seizures for more toxic and hazardous drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamines, and fentanyl increased.”

David Doniger, program director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, questions the motives of the Sempra-backed American Petroleum Institute.

In a July 2019 report, auditors blasted Customs and Border Protection for “failure to protect its employees from possible fentanyl exposure.” Though not explicitly mentioned in that review, over 85 percent of total fentanyl seizures happened at San Diego border crossings. “In the report, we noted that as little as two milligrams of fentanyl could kill an individual,” In the public version of the new report, the Inspector-General redacted Border Patrol and Customs checkpoints’ names and vault locations where auditors monitored seizure operations. Before its release late last month, the entire report had been labeled Law Enforcement Sensitive. Despite the growing risks, Customs and Border Protection continues to stockpile dangerous drugs negligently, endangering workers and increasing costs. “In some instances, [Customs and Border Protection] stored excess drugs for more than 20 years,” per the document. “According to 1,184 case files we reviewed, between FYs 1984 and 2013, CBP’s Office of Field Operations stored almost 13,000 pounds of drugs exceeding established threshold amounts in its vaults instead of destroying them.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Auditors reported that they discovered the agency “routinely circumvented its drug destruction process,” increasing “the risk of accidents, theft, and harmful drug exposure.” Customs and Border Protection is also vulnerable to “additional personnel costs necessary to manage the excess stored drugs.”

The federal agency vowed to make changes proposed by the audit. But a January 4 memo from official Henry A. Moak, Jr., said the draft document did “not sufficiently recognize challenges” facing the agency. Among them he listed “budget constraints,” “destruction facilities schedule/operations,” and “staffing shortages.”

Big Daddy Sempra

Sempra Energy, whose subsidiary San Diego Gas & Electric is lobbying for a favorable extension to its exclusive city energy franchise, is a mainstay of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Per an online accounting posted by the utility giant, Sempra backed the chamber, a staunch SDG&E advocate, with a total of $222,900 in 2020 membership fees. That put the San Diego chamber at number three on Sempra’s 2020 business membership list, under first place Chamber of Commerce of the United States at $1,020,000, and second-place holder Business Roundtable, with $600,000. In the fourth position was the American Petroleum Institute, at $200,000. The oil and gas industry’s largest trade group has historically opposed limits on carbon fuels to limit climate change. In early April, it agreed to support setting a price on carbon emissions in the post-Donald Trump era.

A petition to recall Councilmember Jen Campbell has reached 5000 signatures.

Many anti-carbon advocates are skeptical. “This is an effort to get to the table, rather than be overlooked and run roughshod, but it’s not very definite yet. I don’t know what they’re offering to really support,” David Doniger, climate and clean energy program director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told CNBC.com. Other local business interests supported by Sempra include Economic Development Corporation - San Diego County ($87,500), San Diego Convention and Tourist Bureau ($40,000), San Diego North Economic Development Council ($37,500), Downtown San Diego Partnership ($35,000), San Diego Athena ($35,000), San Diego County Taxpayers Association ($33,500), San Diego Port Tenants Association ($30,104), and the East County Economic Development Council ($28,000)... As the effort to recall San Diego city council Democrat Jen Campbell announces it has already gathered 5000 signatures, a significant player in the so-called short-term rental market says it spent $6548 lobbying against a restrictive city ordinance. Airbnb, Inc. of San Rafael disclosed in an April 1 lobbying report filed by company attorney Joel Aurora, says the expenditure came in the final quarter of last year.

— Matt Potter

(@sdmattpotter)

The Reader offers $25 for news tips published in this column. Call our voice mail at 619-235-3000, ext. 440, or sandiegoreader.com/staff/matt-potter/contact/.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Big swordfish, big marlin, and big money

Trout opener at Santee Lakes
Next Article

The Fellini of Clairemont High

When gang showers were standard for gym class
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader