As drug smuggling invades airports like LAX, how do we stop it? Lawmakers weigh in

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Cartels have been freely trafficking drugs on the same planes we use to travel on a regular basis, and as this new vulnerability invades Southern California's airports, many ask, "How do we stop it?"

Well, the issue is directly tied to one of the darkest days America has ever seen: 9/11.

The attacks served as a benchmark for our own vulnerability and led to the promise that it would never happen again. Thus, the Transportation Security Administration was born and has since had a remarkable record in keeping travelers safe.

However, with the TSA so focused on weapons and explosives, cartels are now using airports - especially LAX - to distribute massive quantities of narcotics. Again - how do we stop it?

Who's in charge?

An Eyewitness News investigation has found that no law enforcement entity is responsible for searching all of those bags at airports for drugs. From the TSA to the Drug Enforcement Administration, L.A. Airport Police, the FBI, and Homeland Security - not one.

"We don't have the ability to do that because we're not law enforcement officials," said LAX TSA Federal Security Director Jason Pantages. "It's not within what we're able to do with our search authority."

So who should be doing it? Matthew Allen, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA in L.A., said screening is not the role of the DEA.

Airport Police Chief Cecil Rhambo said "bags are TSA."

"As a general rule, if there's a callout for drugs at the airport, my team would not respond," said FBI's David Gates. "We respond to very specific types of drug incidents at the airport."

READ ALSO | Smuggled fentanyl poses danger to plane passengers in close quarters, experts warn

Are passengers in danger if drugs like fentanyl are being smuggled in the cabin of an airplane and somehow get loose from their packaging?

So, there seems to be a grey area when it comes to who's really in charge of stopping drugs from going through LAX.

"I think one of the main issues is just strictly volume," said John Pasciucco with Homeland Security Investigations.

In 2001 - when 9/11 occurred - 19,000 people in the U.S. died from a drug overdose. That number has since skyrocketed. Now, over the last three years, we have up to 110,000 people per year - a six-fold increase.

Is the way we police airports relevant to our changing world?

This four-part Eyewitness News investigation is now getting reaction from lawmakers who are looking at the problem with the "highest sense of urgency."

Congressman Adam Schiff, a former prosecutor who has handled drug cases out of LAX, said he understands the complexities. He said fixing this enormous blind spot might need attention from the very top.

"It's our responsibility in Congress to make sure we're doing the oversight and pressing the agencies for answers," said Schiff. "It's a combined responsibility of the administration, through the Transportation Department and Homeland Security and the Justice Department."

"The top priority is making sure no one's going to blow up that aircraft mid-air, but we also need to make sure that content on that plane is not going to kill just as many or many more people on the ground," he continued.

READ ALSO | How L.A. became the cartels' global distribution center and why it's part of an even bigger problem

LAX has become the cartels' global distribution center, and as frightening as that sounds, what's happening at the airport is just a symptom of an even bigger problem.

Congressman Robert Garcia sits on the Homeland Security committee, where they're keenly aware of the dangers of fentanyl. He agrees that something has to be done.

"It's going to take a lot more support from folks across the federal government, quite frankly, the Department of Transportation has to have to be involved and take a leadership role in this issue," he said. "So I will be, thanks to this report, some of your reporting, taking this up of course with Homeland Security and other folks within the leadership of our department."

Three thousand people died during the 9/11 attacks, but in today's dark world of drug addiction, a 9/11 happens every week and a half.

While members of Congress are sounding off, we have not heard anything from cabinet members whose responsibilities intersect with this issue, namely Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

If they remain silent, it may be up to members of Congress to take it upon themselves to finally do something about a problem that's been ignored for far too long.