ALTON – Legislation supported by state Rep. Dan Beiser, D-Alton, that would allow out-of-state drug dealers to be prosecuted when a death occurs in Illinois was recently signed into law.
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“We need to be looking at ways to stop out-of-state drug dealers from coming into our state and selling illegal and harmful drugs,” said Beiser. “For many year, our local law enforcement has had no way to prosecute drug-dealers from other state accountable from selling drugs to people in our community.”
Currently, suspected drug dealers can be charged with drug induced homicide if they manufacture or deliver a controlled substance that results in another person’s death. However, this law does not apply to any individual who lives out-of-state. Beiser supported Senate Bill 639, which expands the offense of drug-induced homicide to include delivery of controlled substances in another state which resulted in the death that occurred in Illinois.
“We need every possible resource available to us to help fight the growing opioid epidemic,” Beiser said. “This legislation gives our law enforcement another tool to track down dangerous drug dealers and hold them accountable for their life-threatening actions.”
For more information, please contact Beiser’s constituent service office at 618-465-5900.
