Attorney General Mayes Blasts Trump Administration for Abandoning Drug Prosecutions, Making Arizona Less Safe

PHOENIX – Today, Attorney General Kris Mayes issued the following statement in response to Reuters reporting record low federal prosecutions for drug violations, money laundering, and other drug trafficking cases as the Trump administration shifts priorities to going after gardeners and construction workers instead of career criminals:  

“Donald Trump promised to go after drug cartels, but in reality, his administration is pulling federal agents off drug cases by the thousands to target immigrant workers.  

The Arizona Attorney General's Office will go after the actual threats to public safety: the drug traffickers flooding our communities with fentanyl and other illicit drugs. 

More than 50% of the fentanyl trafficked into our country is seized in Arizona. The president is making our state and our country less safe. At a time when we have a massive synthetic drug problem, and cocaine is making a comeback, the feds are turning a blind eye to these very real threats to public health and safety. 

Earlier this year, I requested that additional Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents be sent to Arizona to combat the illegal drug trade. That request went unfulfilled. 

As the Trump administration forces federal law enforcement to abandon their duty to protect us from the drug cartels and career criminals, my office will continue to prosecute those responsible for the fentanyl crisis to the fullest extent of the law.” 

Reuters’ reporting finds:  

• Federal drug prosecutions have dropped 10%  

• The number of people charged with money-laundering dropped by 24%  

• The number of people charged in drug conspiracies fell about 15% 

• The number of people charged with importing drugs into the United States dropped about 6% this year to the lowest point in at least 25 years 

• Prosecutions for violating laws that prohibit criminals and others from owning guns or from using them during drug crimes fell about 5% 

• The number of new cases being filed is lowest in decades 

• High-priority drug investigations have stalled 

• About 700 more federal prosecutors have been assigned to work on at least some immigration matters, more than one of every 10 prosecutors