Maria Currier is a Partner and Liliana Vidal is an Associate in our Miami office

This alert provides important information regarding the exportation of narcotics and other controlled substances to Haiti in response to the devastating earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010.

The exportation of certain controlled substances is regulated and restricted under the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 958 (Act). In order to expedite the assistance being offered by hospitals and other providers, the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are facilitating the process for exporting controlled substances during this disaster.

Hospitals and other providers seeking to send controlled substances to Haiti will need to obtain special emergency waivers of the export requirements and restrictions of the Act from the DEA. In order to do so, your facilities should contact:

Daniel Gillen
Chief of the Import/Export Unit of the DEA
E-mail: daniel.j.gillen@usdoj.gov
Phone: 202.307.7969
Fax: 202.307.4702
Mobile: 202.270.2430

The DEA will require certain information to be provided prior to the issuance of such waivers, including:

  • the names of doctors traveling to Haiti
  • the DEA numbers of such doctors
  • a list of quantities and dosages of the controlled substances being exported
  • plans for distribution of the controlled substances upon exportation (e.g., whether the controlled substances will be distributed at a clinic, via UN personnel, etc.).

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The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.