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Prosecutors Using Patriot Act Against Drug Smugglers
September 18, 2003

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News Summary

The U.S. Justice Department has been given authorization to use the Patriot Act to find and punish terrorists, but law enforcement and prosecutors are also using the law to catch drug dealers, the Associated Press reported Sept. 15.

In a case in North Carolina, a man was charged with running a methamphetamine lab. The crime used to carry a prison sentence of six months, but a new state law, prompted by the Patriot Act, classifies the meth-lab ingredients as chemical weapons of mass destruction. As a result, Martin Dwayne Miller could receive 12 years to life in prison.

The Patriot Act, which was passed two months after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, also lifts numerous restrictions that prohibited the government from obtaining personal information on private citizens.

The law enables law enforcement and federal agents to access financial data, use wiretaps, and conduct electronic and computer eavesdropping. These new powers have allowed officials to crack down on drug smugglers by seizing money hidden overseas.

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