Image above – South entrance- Port Townsend Ship Canal
Symbol of a significant Homeland Security/CBP/Border Patrol presence at Port Angeles that came together more than a decade ago.
Have Port Angeles based Homeland Security/CBP units been able to create any shortage of cartel product/fentanyl in the Puget Sound area?
Has any newsperson ever asked questions on this?
Press Release Style of News Reporting
KIRO goes with the press release style of news reporting where a statement is prepared by whatever agency was involved in the latest policy update, drug bust/federal grant money award, etc.
Newspeople post this statement as is. A 5th grade book report would require more in the way of asking questions.
In The News
18 pounds of meth seized at SeaTac
Story by KIRO 7 News Mar 12, 2025
“A woman departing from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was found with more than 18 pounds of meth in her carry-on, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”
“The 33-year-old woman was headed to Seoul, South Korea, on February 28 when CBP officers and Port of Seattle officials searched her bag and found “bundles of a white crystal substance,” CBP said in a press release.”
Zero questions from newspeople:
How did the meth arrive in the US?
DEA Releases 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment
May 09, 2024
“Today, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram announced the release of the 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA), DEA’s comprehensive strategic assessment of illicit drug threats and trafficking trends endangering the United States.”
“Nearly all the methamphetamines sold in the United States today is manufactured in Mexico, and it is purer and more potent than in years past. The shift to Mexican-manufactured methamphetamine is evidenced by the dramatic decline in domestic clandestine lab seizures.”
Tariffs
If it takes tariffs to keep cartel product from arriving in the Puget Sound area, what is the utility of operating a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security in recent years?
This giant federal agency now has more than two decades of experience and lessons learned in working to prevent cartel product from entering the US.
Love to see newspeople ask:
Has the Island County Homeland Security-funded patrol boat been involved in any arrest or seizure related in any way to the US/Canada border?
When is the last time the Island County Homeland Security-funded patrol boat made any seizure that kept any amount of fentanyl, meth, heroin or any opioid from entering Island County?
Newspeople remain silent.
Whidbey Homeland Security Grant Money- Newspeople Remain Silent
No matter what elected officials have decided to do Re: enabling drug use in WA, a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security has been on the job in recent years.
Any cartel product arriving on the streets of Whidbey Island, Seattle or Port Angeles made its way past the jurisdiction of federal agents at borders, border crossings and ports of entry prior to arriving in the Puget Sound area.
Are newspeople forbidden to ask questions related to Homeland Security funding and performance in the Puget Sound area?
Background – Port Angeles CBP:
Urban legend: The US Border Patrol stopped the Millennium Bomber at Port Angeles.
Ahmed Ressam was captured at the traditional port of entry at Port Angeles by Customs Inspectors wearing blue uniforms- not by Border Patrol Agents wearing green uniforms.
Dec 17, 2029 Peninsula Daily News
Terrorist plot stopped in Port Angeles 20 years ago
“Two decades have passed since U.S. Customs inspectors in Port Angeles foiled a terrorist’s plot to kill and injure as many Americans as possible by blowing up a passenger terminal at Los Angeles International Airport.”
“…he debarked from the MV Coho ferry driving a rental car filled with highly-volatile explosives.”
How many US Border Patrol agents were stationed at Port Angeles in 1999?
Pre-911 staffing levels got the job done.
Unlike many cities of its size, Port Angeles maintains a significant Homeland Security/CBP/Border Patrol presence.
Are newspeople forbidden to ask questions related to Port Angeles Homeland Security funding and performance?
Newspeople have a long history of not asking questions in this area.
New Port Angeles USBP Station opened more than a decade ago. Has the new station been able to prevent cartel drugs from entering the Olympic Peninsula?
Newspeople remain silent.
After a Port Angeles CBP buildup that took place more than a decade ago, is there any follow up made by the press to inform the public on whatever results have been achieved?
If you run a government operation-these are the reporters you want to see on interview day:
Operation Macho Swagger
Newspeople play the role of federal public affairs personnel during Operation Macho Swagger– a ride-along to let us know what is being done to keep the southern edge of the Strait of Juan de Fuca safe from B.C. incursions.
Fast boats put agents in close distance with ‘bad guys’ on the watery border
By Paul Gottlieb Jul 17, 2011 Peninsula Daily News
2011-
2013-
Heroin epidemic gripping Port Angeles
Recent News – 2024
With a significant Homeland Security/CBP/Border Patrol presence at Port Angeles:
“Clallam County has one of the highest per capita rates of drug overdoses in the state…”
Look for newspeople to ask zero questions in this area:
When is the last time the Port Angeles Border Patrol made an arrest of any kind?
When is the last time the Port Angeles Border Patrol made an arrest linked in any way to the US/Canada border?
Has massing US Border Patrol agents at the southern edge of the Strait of Juan de Fuca played any role in reducing Clallam County drug overdose numbers?
Have opioid lawsuits played any role in improving the situation?
How do cartels react to opioid lawsuits?
Are passports/enhanced/REAL IDs effective in keeping cartel drugs out of the US?
Standard driver’s licenses have not been accepted at the border since 2009.
When is the last time the Port Angeles Border Patrol made any seizure that kept any amount of fentanyl, meth, heroin or any opioid from entering Clallam County?
Were Clallam County drug overdose death numbers higher before the US Dept. of Homeland Security was established (2002) or are the numbers higher with a $51.6 billion (every 12 months) US Dept. of Homeland Security in place? This giant federal agency now has more than two decades of experience and lessons learned in working to prevent cartel product from entering the US. More overdose deaths now, or before DHS?
Possibly of interest:
