Attorney General Alan Wilson asks Trump administration to close loophole allowing drug traffickers to flood US with fentanyl

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Attorney General Alan Wilson joined a coalition of 25 state attorneys general asking the Trump administration to close a loophole used by adversaries and drug traffickers to flood deadly fentanyl into the United States. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Kristi Noem and Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Pete Flores, the attorneys general call for greater scrutiny of an import pilot program called Entry Type 86, which allows small packages to enter the U.S. with minimal customs screening. 

“Fentanyl is killing our family members, friends, and neighbors, and we can’t afford to leave the door open for drug traffickers to exploit weak spots in our system,” said Attorney General Wilson. “The Entry Type 86 program has become a Trojan horse, allowing deadly drugs to flood into our communities with minimal oversight. I’m proud to stand with my fellow attorneys general and President Trump’s administration to demand immediate action to close this loophole and protect American lives. South Carolina will not sit back while drug cartels poison our families.” 

In just a 10-year period, imports under the Entry Type 86 program skyrocketed from 153 million packages in 2015 to over 1.2 billion in 2024. Any surge of this magnitude requires further study because of serious concerns about the amount of fentanyl and other deadly drugs that could be coming into the country. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid narcotic up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. As little as two milligrams of fentanyl – smaller than the tip of a pencil – can be lethal.  

In addition, some shippers use the Entry Type 86 program to dodge regulations and avoid paying required duties, raising concerns about security risks, illegal trade, and weaknesses in our supply chain.  

Attorney General Wilson joined Kentucky, which led the letter, alongside attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. 

You can read the letter here.