Hawaii
Latest Coverage
See all articles
Bipartisan bill to continue decades-old Pacific drug enforcement initiative
A bipartisan bill introduced in the House of Representatives aims to continue a nearly decade-old initiative to combat transnational drug trafficking across the Pacific.
Hawaii congressman Ed Case and Guam Del. James Moylan introduced H.R. 9508 back in June, which tasks the executive associate director of the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations division to establish in statute the Pacific Islands Liaison Initiative.
The bill would authorise an annual congressional appropriation of US$5 million each year from fiscal years 2027 through 2034, and require an annual report to Congress. "Those inflated profits flow right back to transnational criminal organisations in the Western Hemisphere, strengthening the networks that threaten communities throughout the U.S," Case said. According to Case, Pacific Island nations and territories have been used as transit points for the movement and concealment of drugs across the Pacific. The bill has been sent to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary for review.