A new technology that can detect more than 14,000 chemicals is being rolled out at Detroit’s international airport in an effort to stop dangerous opioids from entering the country, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday.
The new technology will allow Customs and Border Protection agents at Detroit Metropolitan Airport to test substances found in foreign mail and other imported goods and be alerted immediately if a package contains regulated or illegal drugs.
Officials hope Gemini, a handheld elemental isotype analysis tool, can help flag packages of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is exported to the U.S. mainly from China. Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than heroin and has contributed to the opioid epidemic in the U.S., which kills an average of 115 Americans every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Our officers now have the ability to safely sample unknown substances in real time, and get instant results. This in turn saves time while protecting our officers and the general public from potentially hazardous materials,” CBP Port Director Devin Chamberlain said in a statement. “We are dedicated to combating the threat that fentanyl and other dangerous drugs pose to our nation.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced this month that it was dramatically stepping up its efforts to combat the opioid epidemic in Ohio, a state that has been disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis.
ICE held a major training session on how to detect opioids such as heroin and fentanyl in Michigan and Ohio.
