Bill > HR6104

This bill establishes a comprehensive approach to combating illegal drug distribution through the dark web, focusing specifically on opioids. It creates the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement Task Force within the FBI, which will be an interagency program designed to detect, disrupt, and dismantle illicit online marketplaces. The bill introduces new legal provisions that make it explicitly unlawful to deliver, distribute, or dispense controlled substances via the dark web, with enhanced sentencing guidelines for violations. The task force will include representatives from multiple federal agencies like the DEA, Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security, and will be responsible for conducting investigations, providing training, developing investigative best practices, and creating innovative approaches to target emerging technologies used in illegal online drug distribution. The legislation requires annual reports to Congress detailing the task force's activities, investigations, and recommendations for further action. Additionally, the bill mandates a separate report from the Attorney General on the use of virtual currencies in dark web drug transactions. The task force is initially authorized for five years, with a provision for Congress to periodically update the definition of the "dark web" to keep pace with technological changes. The overall goal is to address the growing threat of anonymous online drug marketplaces and their contribution to the substance abuse crisis in the United States.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6104/all-info