Republican Jim Bognet, running against Democrat Rep. Matt Cartwright in Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District, says the United States must make mercilessly prosecuting fentanyl traffickers a national priority.

In an exclusive interview with SiriusXM Patriot’s Breitbart News Saturday, Bognet said it is long overdue for the United States to take a tough stance against fentanyl traffickers, as the flow of the deadly drug has quadrupled in recent years.

LISTEN: 

“We need zero tolerance toward fentanyl traffickers. I think that we’ve gotten soft prosecuting drug traffickers. I think if you look at the big cities, they’re arresting people for drug offenses and then letting them out that day, giving them no cash bail,” Bognet, who has been endorsed by former President Trump, said.

“I think we need tougher federal penalties on fentanyl traffickers,” Bognet continued. “I think we need to use more technology at the border to stop the fentanyl from coming in here.”

In April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that more than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in the prior 12 months. Nearly two-thirds of those deaths were linked to fentanyl.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official Anne Milgram has said that there was enough fentanyl trafficked into American communities last year, via the southern border, “to kill every American” citizen.

“I think we need to make it a priority, especially in Pennsylvania, but I say across the country,” Bognet said. “Between the Chinese triad, the Mexican gangs, the Central American gangs, they are targeting America’s youth and we’re having kids die — high school kids.”

“My mom was a public school teacher here. She would have kids not come to class … go and trade their new iPhones for heroin laced with fentanyl and end up dead. There’s nothing sadder than losing a teenage child or someone in their early 20s to a drug overdose,” he continued. “It’s the saddest funeral you’ll ever go to. I’ve been to them; it’s very sad. We need, in the country, to stop that, and it starts with cracking down mercilessly on the people who peddle poison.”

As Breitbart News reported, the inflow of fentanyl into American communities has spiked in recent years. In fiscal year 2019, about 2,800 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the border.

In fiscal year 2020, that figure capped out at 4,800 pounds of the drug seized. By fiscal year 2021, fentanyl seizures skyrocketed to about 11,200 pounds. Already, in fiscal year 2022, which began October 1, 2021, about 5,300 pounds of fentanyl have been seized at the border.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.