Illegal drug use has caused significant problems in the United States since the 1960s, but in the past decade, overdose deaths from synthetic opioids have nearly doubled annually, with much of the narcotics being smuggled in passenger and cargo vehicles across our southern border . Border officials have tried to solve this problem for years, but without legislative support to implement the latest technology and security measures at our U.S. ports of entry, the situation will only continue to grow.

Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49, according to a recent analysis from the Washington Post. The highly fatal narcotic — just 2 milligrams make up a lethal dose — is cheaply manufactured in foreign labs, mostly in Mexico and China, and then added to the illegal drugs circulated in the U.S., including heroin, cocaine, and crystal meth. Because of fentanyl, New York City is on track this year to see the highest overdose deaths in the past two decades.

The majority of fentanyl in the U.S. is smuggled from Mexico, often through U.S. ports of entry that are secured by our nation’s largest federal law enforcement agency, Customs and Border Protection. CBP officers have the extremely difficult task of screening an increasing number of passenger vehicles and cargo trucks, searching for all types of illegal contraband, including weapons, cash, narcotics, and trafficked humans. But because of outdated tech, CBP officers can only scan 2% of passenger vehicles and 18% of cargo trucks for contraband — a statistic President Joe Biden has promised to help increase.

The low scanning rates are partly because CBP officers are using outdated large-scale nonintrusive inspection, or NII, systems to scan cars and trucks. Located in the “Secondary Inspection” area due to their large size, this means an officer has to find cause to send a car there for further inspection without causing delays. In addition, current NII systems are unable to scan the underside of vehicles, where contraband is often hidden in gas tanks, mufflers, and drive shafts.

Smugglers are keenly aware of the low percentage of scanned cars and the limitations of current CBP NII systems, which is why they have adapted their concealment techniques to locations underneath vehicles.

This subject is personal to me. As the former director of the Non-Intrusive Inspection Division, or NIID, I have more than 33 years of border enforcement experience with the CBP and Office of Field Operations. I have been responsible for the evaluation, procurement, and installation of all CBP NII technology. I understand what our CBP officers need and where the procurement’s pain points are in the system.

In 2019, I helped facilitate the purchase of a new technology: drive-through X-ray systems for passenger and cargo vehicles that included capabilities to scan underneath vehicles. These innovative systems scanned quickly and were small enough to be placed in pre-primary (the first inspection area), and they helped Congress achieve its goal of scanning 100% of vehicles crossing into the U.S. We worked with Viken Detection, a tech security company, to develop this new system to scan the underside of a car or truck.

If the U.S. government is serious about slowing the flow of illegal narcotics and securing our borders while increasing efficiency, the solution is simple: Install new drive-through NII systems to include the under-vehicle scan at all ports of entry along the southern border. Under-vehicle scanners are not only safer for both the passenger and CBP officer, but they are also capable of scanning a greater number of cars and possible contraband and are, therefore, better for protecting our communities from increased criminal activity.

Unfortunately, a major obstacle for CBP to purchase this new NII tech is the Department of Homeland Security’s antiquated and bureaucratic procurement process. CBP requests for new equipment take at least two to three years to complete the process, from purchase to installation to use.

To expedite the process, CBP should transition the procurement of this new technology to the Defense Logistics Agency’s Tailored Logistics Support Program. This program’s primary goal is to reduce costs for the government, improve logistic response time, and increase customer support. Through the TLSP, CBP can acquire special operational equipment in a timely and cost-effective manner. The DLA also already complies with CBP statutes, regulations, and policies.

If Congress wants to help CBP better enforce our ports of entry and make our communities safer, they need to make sure our border officials have the technology they need to identify and respond to threats quickly. This technology is a necessary and critical solution to counter the impact cartel drug smuggling is having on our communities.

Robert Watt is the former U.S. Customs and Border Protection director of the Non-Intrusive Inspection Division and has more than 33 years of border enforcement experience.