Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Schumer Swinging Into Action on Illegal Drugs from Canada
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 22, 2010
Modified Apr 22, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 22, 2010
Modified Apr 22, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
There's been a big increase in the amount of illegal drugs—heroin cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy—smuggled across the U.S.-Canadian border, and Senator Chuck Schumer is pretty bent out of shape about it. In a special Wednesday press conference, Schumer unveiled his plan to "push back hard against the recent rise in drug smuggling across the Canadian border." The surge in drug seizures by northern border agents is indeed dramatic!
Since 2007, cocaine seizures have risen from less than 1kg to 18kg; heroin seizures have gone from less than 1kg to 28kg; marijuana seizures have gone from 2,791kg to 3,423kg and; ecstasy seizures have gone from 240kg to 303kg. The AP reports that in one high-profile bust in February, a 53-year-old Canadian man was arrested in western New York after agents using X-ray technology found 47 pounds of ecstasy—77,856 tablets worth $1.5 million—in a car's rear quarter panels, wrapped in cellophane, dryer sheets and electrical tape. Finally, another use for dryer sheets!
Yesterday Schumer criticized the Obama administration for planning a 12 percent funding cut to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Program (HIDTA), a federal crime-fighting initiative that funnels money to counties with the highest drug activity. Schumer intends to restore the HIDTA funds, and he's introducing a bill that would require the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to devise a comprehensive strategy "to combat this scourge, as they have for the Southern border." "Upstate New York is one of the greatest to places to raise a family, not just in the country, but on earth," the Brooklyn-born Schumer said. "To keep the quality of life so high, we’ve got to use every resource we have to combat those who would do our families harm."
Tagged
canada
chuck schumer
drugs
dryer sheets
smuggling
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Gatorade recall affects drinks sold in New York and New Jersey
More than 122,000 cases are being recalled over undeclared food dyes.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 4:36 p.m. ET
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
News
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
NYPD detective forced to retire after false statements in Brooklyn investigation
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani faces pressure to forge ahead with plan to fix polluting South Bronx market
By
Elizabeth Kim
Dominican man who shot border patrol officer in NYC sentenced to 15 years in prison
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .