Tennessee is united to fight illegal trade, human trafficking – Tennessean

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In early June, nine individuals in Middle Tennessee were indicted as part of a drug trafficking operation that was pushing meth into our communities. Sadly, these occurrences are becoming more common.

Over my 30 years in law enforcement, I have seen Tennessee's position as a regional transportation hub being exploited by criminals seeking to conduct illegal trade and counterfeit operations. The same highways and taxpayer-funded infrastructure used to deliver groceries and consumer goods are being used by criminal enterprises to smuggle drugs and illicit tobacco, and even for human trafficking.

Illegal trade is one of the most serious challenges facing the Volunteer State and our nation.

As our economy changes, criminal networks evolve in how they take advantage of Tennesseans. For example, as inflation hits families with higher costs, bad actors are working to capitalize on the hardships of the American people. Monthly household costs in Tennessee have risen over $500 since just last year, prompting many consumers to seek lower prices online. As households seek to save money wherever they can, black-market criminals are quick to sell counterfeit or stolen products online for a fast profit. This online black market in turn places more hardships on already struggling businesses, driving employee layoffs and creating opportunities for the outrageous smash-and-grab retail thefts we have all seen on the news.

My experience in law enforcement has taught me that criminals are always looking for the next most profitable racket. Funds garnered from commodities with low risk of enforcement, such as illicit tobacco — of which nearly 11 million packs of cigarettes are annually smuggled out of Tennessee — are quickly put to use trafficking riskier contraband like weapons and drugs, along with human trafficking.

These illicit marketplaces also put dangerous and deadly products into our communities. Since the early 2000s, counterfeit prescription pills have flooded the market in Tennessee, endangering and killing unsuspecting Tennesseans. Today, the issue is more relevant than ever, with an alarming influx of counterfeit pills being injected into the state's illicit drug supplies. In Tennessee, 80% of all crimes have an underlying drug-related cause.

These statistics have consequences. In 2021, fentanyl — one of the most lethal and commonly smuggled substances — was found in a Tennessee high school student's counterfeit vaping device. This is just one of countless examples of how increasing illegal trade leads to the growing prevalence of illicit and deadly substances that endanger the communities in our beloved state.

While these numbers are alarming, there is progress being made in the fight to combat illegal trade, and that is why I was excited to participate in the Safeguarding Tennessee from Illegal Trade Summit hosted by United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade (USA-IT) and the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry on June 21..

USA-IT brings together experienced entities from both the public and private sectors to form partnerships that will be integral to our fight against illegal trade and to make our communities safer and more prosperous statewide.

Now is the time for action against this growing threat. Together, we must work to ensure Tennessee serves as a leader in the fight against illegal trade and stands as a beacon of America at its best.

A law enforcement professional with over 30 years of experience, David Rausch has served as the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation since June 2018. He has also served as an adviser to legislators and government officials on the local, state and federal levels, including the governor of Tennessee and the past two presidential administrations.