Ex-Customs official has blunt advice for Rick Scott

I received an email from Sen. Rick Scott in my spam folder but I opened it, since it was labeled a “News Alert.”

It said Scott held a law enforcement roundtable (in Daytona Beach) and reintroduced a bill to enhance border security and end the fentanyl crisis. Scott’s legislation requires the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to regularly review and update policies and manuals related to inspections at ports of entry. What does the senator think Customs has been doing since its inception in 1789?

I began my career with Customs in 1980. I retired in 2020 and spent 32 years working in South Florida.

Trust me, Senator, no one reports to duty thinking, “Gee, What drugs will I allow into the United States today?”

We utilize detector dogs, advanced x-ray machines, specially trained plain-clothed rovers and myriad computer databases to do our jobs. That said, all the tools and training mean nothing when you have one officer processing scores of passengers looking not only to intercept drugs but also ensuring proper immigration status, non-importation of pest-infested produce or contraband goods and pharmaceuticals.

Has the senator ever searched an inbound cargo vessel importing thousands of commercial containers? It’s not easy.

Remember how long it used to take to complete your passenger disembarkation after a cruise? Facial recognition technology has reduced these “Disney World”-style waits to such an extent that passengers no longer realize that they have completed their immigration and customs check.

Scott’s email blamed the border crisis on President Biden’s “failed agenda.” Here’s something else the senator needs to know: The drug problem is a bipartisan issue.

My son died of a fentanyl overdose in 2018. He was an alcoholic and a substance abuser. All the training and all the technology in the world will not have any success stopping an individual with a chemical addiction or with mental issues.

Stop grandstanding and help solve the problem.

Kenneth Heller, Coral Springs