Former Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl warns of growing threats along northern border

Former Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl is warning that Washington state is sitting on a ticking time bomb.

While we’ve rightly focused on the southern border, Meidl says the northern border is quietly becoming the cartel’s favorite backdoor into the United States — and Washington communities are paying the price in fentanyl deaths and violent crime.

“The FBI director had noted that their intelligence indicated that the majority of fentanyl that is coming into the United States is now coming through the northern border, with a significant conduit being through Vancouver, B.C.,” Meidl told The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red 770 AM.

That revelation is devastating for Washington.

“In March of 2024 we had 3,500 overdose deaths reported in Washington state… This year, in March, we had 3,256. So really, we’ve seen a decrease of 300 overdose deaths in one year in Washington state. But we still see 10 Washingtonians on average dying every single day due to overdose deaths,” he said.

This is about national security

Meidl says this isn’t just about drugs — it’s also about national security.

“Last year, we had about 360 individuals on the [terrorist] watch list that were caught at the northern border. Seventy percent of those contacted at land border encounters came through the northern border,” he warned. “We’re dealing with an adversary that is nefarious, constantly looking for different ways to make money, sell their product, or harm the United States.”

With 427 miles of U.S.–Canada border cutting through Washington, the state is wide open.

“The latest figures show that there’s about one Border Patrol agent for about every two and a half miles of border, and you’re talking 24/7, 365-day coverage,” Meidl explained. “Staffing is crucial… and that’s where technology becomes crucial. There’s a lot of great technology out there. But we also need to make sure that when this technology triggers, we have the appropriate staffing to respond quickly.”

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