U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is throwing her support behind President Donald Trump and his move to stem the flow of drugs coming to America from Venezuela.
Moody said she is backing Trump’s decision to send U.S. warships to the waters around Venezuela to block the drug trade, particularly fentanyl, from reaching the shores of the United States. The Republican said Trump and the passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act are already starting to reverse the surge in drug overdose deaths in America.
“This week, we’ve seen President Trump once again take bold action by deploying U.S. warships near Venezuela to cut off the trafficking of deadly drugs at the source. At the same time, we are celebrating the passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act — a critical new law I proudly cosponsored,” Moody said at a press event in Miami this week.
“Together, these actions send a clear message: America’s days of turning a blind eye to drug trafficking are over. This law ensures federal agents and prosecutors have the tools to hold these traffickers accountable, just like we’ve done here in Florida. Combined with President Trump’s leadership, we are saving lives, shutting down the cartels, and making communities safer ahead of National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.”
Moody was joined at the news conference by Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz. She praised Moody for her leadership in the anti-drug crusade.
“The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office remains fully committed to working with our state and federal partners to combat the devastating impact of fentanyl in our community,” Cordero-Stutz said. “Thanks to Sen. Moody’s leadership and the passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act, we now have another critical tool to help hold traffickers accountable and save lives.”
Moody held a similar news event in Tampa Thursday. It was National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day and she emphasized vigilance among Floridians.
“No matter your age, no matter where you come from, no matter your job, one pill can kill. Five out of every 10 counterfeit pills found to contain fentanyl pack a lethal dose. So, if you’ve ever thought about getting help, now is the time to do it.”
The “HALT” in the measure’s name is an acronym for Halt All Lethal Trafficking. The law stipulates that crimes involving more than 100 grams of fentanyl and other “Schedule 1” drugs draw a 10-year mandatory prison sentence. Schedule 1 substances are drugs that have a high potential for abuse and have no current accepted medical value.
R.S. says
Nuts! They’re trying to rob Venezuelan oil resources.
D. Francis says
That is already part of the mission of the Coast Guard. My husband was on a mid-range cutter out of Key West for three years and they had multiple drug busts. That cutter went all the way through the Panama Canal and down the South American coast and back, multiple 3-month deployments throughout the Caribbean, and patrols in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic. There were news articles about some of the busts and the quantities seized.
Why not just enhance resources for the USCG (yes, they have cutters with big guns too) instead of using our defense forces? Oh wait, because “warships” sounds so much more manly than a cutter. Narcissism is rampant.
This is just one link explaining the Coast Guard’s drug interdiction activities (as an example). Too many people joke about the Coasties as “shallow water sailors” yet do not know the full mission or ever bother to know about their accomplishments. https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3900888/coast-guard-offloads-more-than-54-million-in-illegal-narcotics-interdicted-in-c/
Another interesting fact: Many Guardsmen/women are prior service military with the training involved. My husband was a combat medic with the 82nd Airborne before entering the Guard as a corpsman, and served for 26 years. His colleagues represented all branches of the military, including Naval “warships” and have the skillset needed. How about we shore up the Coast Guard budget and let them do their job instead of all of this showtime?
Deborah Coffey says
Of course she supports warships. This entire administration along with its sycophants is a performance meant to instill fear, compliance, complete obedience, and exhaustion.
Pogo says
@Our Girl Squirrel
… with a law license yells LOOK, A SQUIRREL; robs the birdfeeder, pees in the birdbath, and scurries away til the next time daddy drops a dime.
And so it goes.