Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has joined a coalition of 25 state attorneys general in calling on the Trump Administration to take action against a little-known import program that they say is being exploited by drug traffickers and foreign adversaries to smuggle deadly fentanyl and other narcotics into the United States.
In a letter sent Monday to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Pete Flores, the attorneys general urged the administration to tighten oversight of the Customs and Border Protection pilot program known as Entry Type 86. The program allows small packages to enter the country with limited customs screening, posing a significant risk, the officials argue, to public safety and national security.
“As attorneys general responsible for protecting the safety of our constituents, we are proud to partner with President Trump and this Administration to stop the flow of illicit deadly drugs into our country and our communities,” the letter reads. “Unfortunately, traffickers and foreign adversaries like China are constantly finding new ways to bring fentanyl and other poisons into our neighborhoods. We ask for your help in addressing a serious loophole that is currently being exploited.”
The volume of imports under Entry Type 86 has surged dramatically in recent years—from 153 million packages in 2015 to over 1.2 billion in 2024—prompting concerns that the lack of rigorous screening is providing a backdoor for drug cartels to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin across the country.
While fentanyl seizures in Montana dropped slightly in 2024 compared to the previous year, Knudsen noted that the state continues to see alarming increases in the trafficking of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin. Fentanyl seizures are still up 354 percent from 2021, according to the Montana Department of Justice.
“This loophole is a national threat,” Knudsen said. “We know these drugs are coming in from the southern border, and if we don’t close this vulnerability in our customs process, we’re going to keep seeing Montana families and communities devastated.”
The attorneys general also warned that bad actors are using the Entry Type 86 program to evade tariffs and trade regulations, undermining both economic and national security.
The multistate effort was led by Kentucky and joined by attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The coalition is urging DHS and CBP to implement stronger inspection protocols and reassess the viability of the Entry Type 86 program to prevent further exploitation by criminal networks.
By: DNU staff