On Wednesday, the governor of New Hampshire blasted a sanctuary city in neighboring Massachusetts for the burgeoning drug trade in his state.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu blamed Lawrence, Massachusetts, a sanctuary city, asserting there is “no doubt” that illegal immigrants from there were selling deadly fentanyl across the state border. He said, “For example, Lawrence, right? So you have undocumented drug dealers that are dealing these drugs, they are getting arrested, they are being given bail by judges … they’re jumping bail, getting a new ID and they’re back in that same home dealing drugs a week later. It’s an absolutely crazy system.”
Sununu said, “It’s coming from Lawrence. Eighty-five percent of the fentanyl in this state is coming straight out of Lawrence, Massachusetts.” He added, “there’s no doubt” illegal immigrants are involved.
Fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller, is up to 50 times more powerful than heroin and up to 100 times more potent then morphine. Even a tiny amount can be fatal.
David Procopio, a Massachusetts State Police spokesman, admitted Lawrence remains “a significant destination for heroin and fentanyl,” noting it is exported from Central America; Billy Pitman, a spokesman for Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, would only comment that the opioid epidemic “knows no geographic boundaries.”
Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera protested:
I’m a little shocked. Governor Sununu comes from a really good family. You think he’d be a little bit smarter than to just go after immigrants and communities. It must be in vogue. When there’s a tough problem, say there’s an easy solution and blame somebody who has nothing to do with it. … What we need to do is come together and say, “How do we deal with the addiction problem?”
Sununu concluded, “Guess what? We’re going in. We’re going to get tough on these guys, and I want to scare every dealer that wants to come across that border. We’re not giving dealers nine months on parole and probation anymore. We’re putting them away for the five, 10 and 15 years that they deserve.”